Skip to Main Content

Canon Law Research Guide

Commonly Used Codes

1582 Corpus Iuris Canonici
Fully digitized by the UCLA Charles E. Young Research Library. In addition to the text, this set contains Ordinary Glosses, extensive commentaries, and annotations on the inner and outer margins. Click here to learn about the Corpus Iuris Civilis, also known as the Justinian Code.

Friedberg, Emil. Corpus Iuris Canonici. Editio Lipsiensis secunda (Leipzig, 1879-1881).
Canon Law; Stacks BV 154 1959.  It is the best and most critical edition.  The following editions/reprints are freely available online: 1959 (Pt.1 and Pt.2), 1955 edition (Pt.1 and Pt.2), and 1879 edition (Pt.1 and Pt.2). To learn more about the Corpus Iuris Canonici, click here.

The 1917 or Pio-Benedictine Code of Canon Law (editio typica / official text)
Codex Iuris Canonici Pii X Pontificis Maximi iussu digestus Benedicti Papae XV auctoritate promulgatus
(Rome: Typis Polyglottis Vaticanis, 1917). Stacks, BV 207 1917
This edition is also available online.  A rear autographed copy by Pietro Gasparri is available at the Rare Books and Special Collections Library. 

The 1983 or Johanno-Pauline Code of Canon Law
Codex Iuris Canonici auctoritate Ioannis Pauli PP. II promulgatus (Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1983).
Stacks, BV 1615 1983

Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches of 1990
Codex Canonum Ecclesiarum Orientalium auctoritate Ioannis Pauli PP. II promulgatus (Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1990).
Canon Law (Non-Circulating); BV 1118 .E5 1995.

Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, Latin - English edition (Washington, DC: Canon Law Society of America).
Canon Law (Non-Circulating)
; BV 1118 .E5 1992. Also available online.

Latest revision (effective as of December 8, 2021):

APOSTOLIC CONSTITUTION PASCITE GREGEM DEI OF THE HOLY FATHER FRANCIS REFORMING BOOK VI OF THE CODE OF CANON LAW (Sanctions in the Church)

Sources / Fontes

The following codes contain annotations and indicate fontes for the canons in footnotes:

1917 Code.  Electronic version digitized by Google is the most extensive. Click HERE to access.

Codex Iuris Canonici Pii X Pontificis Maximi iussu digestus, Benedicti Papae XV auctoritate promulgatus, praefatione, fontium annotatione et indice analytico-alphabetico ab Em̄o Petro Card. Gasparri auctus (Rome: Typis Polyglottis Vaticanis, 1948).
Canon Law Seminar Room, BV 207 1948. Of note is the 1963 edition available online.

Fontes for the 1917 code by Cardinal Gasparri
Codicis Iuris Canonici fontes, ed. Pietro Gasparri, 9 vols. (Rome: Typis Polyglottis Vaticanis, 1923-1939).
No such work (yet) exists with regard to the 1983 and Eastern codes.
Stacks, BV 189 1923 .G24. This work is also available online.

1983 code
Codex Iuris Canonici fontium annotatione et indice analytico-alphabetico auctus, ed. Pontifical Commission for the Authentic Interpretation of the Code of Canon Law (Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1989).
Canon Law Seminar Room, BV 1615 1989

1990 code for the Eastern churches
Codex Canonum Ecclesiarum Orientalium auctoritate Ioannis Pauli PP. II promulgatus, fontium annotatione auctus, ed. Pontifical Council for the Interpretation of Legislative Texts (Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1995).
Canon Law Seminar Room, BV 1118 1995

Understanding the footnotes of the 1917 Code of Canon Law. Click HERE to access the guide.

Translations

English Translations

1917 Code

There are no approved translations of the officially promulgated codes into English. However, the following unofficial translation is most commonly used:

Peters, Edward N. The 1917 or Pio-Benedictine Code of Canon Law: in English Translation with Extensive Scholarly Apparatus. Ignatius Press, 2001. Also available online.

1983 Code

The following translations have been authorized:
Code of canon law, Latin-English edition: new English translation  (Washington, DC:  CLSA, 2000).  

The code of canon law, in English translation (Canon Law Society of Great Britain and Ireland. London: Collins. 1983)

Code of canon law, Latin-English edition (Washington, DC: CLSA, 2012)

1990 Code of the Eastern Churches
Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches. Latin-English Edition (Washington, DC: CLSA, 2001).

Spanish Translations

1917 Code
Cabreros de Anta., et al., Código de Derecho Canónico y Legislación Complementaria: texto latino y versión castellana, con jurisprudencia y comentarios. (10 ed., Madrid: La Editorial Católica, 1976)

Cabreros de Anta, Marcelino. Comentarios al Código de Derecho Canónico, con el Texto Legal Latino y Castellano. Biblioteca de Autores Cristianos, 1968.

1983 Code

 Código de derecho canónico.  (Madrid: Biblioteca de Autores Cristianos, 2005). Contains text in Latin and Spanish in opposite columns with commentary in Spanish.

Commentaries on the 1917 Code

Latin

Beste, Ulric. Introductio in Codicem: quam in usum et utilitatem scholae et cleri ad promptam expeditamque canonum interpretationem  Collegeville, Minn: St. John’s Abbey Press, 1938.

Blat, Alberto. Commentarium Textus Codicis Iuris Canonici.  Romae: ex Typographia Pontificia in Instituto Pii IX, 1922. The following volumes are available online: v.2, v.3, v.4, v.5.

Cappello, Felice M. Summa Iuris Canonici. Romae: Apud Aedes Universitatis Gregorianae, 1951.

Conte a Coronata, Matthaeus. Institutiones Iuris Canonici: ad usum utriusque cleri et scholarum.  Taruini: Marietti, 1929. (Stacks BV 214 .C82)

Jone, Heribert. Commentarium in Codicem Iuris Canonici.  Paderborn: F. Schöningh, 1951.

Regatillo, Eduardo F. (Eduardo Fernández). Institutiones Iuris Canonici.  Ed. 4. adaucta. Santander: Sal Terrae, 1951.

Romani, Silvio. Institutiones Juris Canonici.  Romae: Editrice “Iustitia,” 1944.

Sipos, István and Ladislaus Gálos. Enchiridion Iuris Canonici: ad usum scholarum et privatorum. Romae: Herder, 1960.

Vermeersch, A. (Arthur), and Joseph. Creusen. Epitome Iuris Canonici.  Ed. 6. Mechliniae: H. Dessain, 1938.

English

Woywod Stanislaus. Practical Commentary on the Code of Canon Law. New York, Joseph F. Wagner, 1926.  Woywood's 1948 revised and enlarged edition is also available online.

Abbo, John A., and Jerome D. Hannan. The Sacred Canons: a Concise Presentation of the Current Disciplinary Norms of the Church. B. Herder, 1952.

Dom Augustine / Charles Augustine / Charles Bachofen. A Commentary on the New Code of Canon Law. B. Herder Book Co., 1918-1922.  This eight-volume set is also available online

Bouscaren, T. Lincoln (Timothy Lincoln), and Adam C. Ellis. Canon Law: a Text and Commentary. Milwaukee: Bruce Pub. Co., 1946.  The fourth  1966 edition revised by Francis N. Korth is also available.

Ramstein, Matthew. A Manual of Canon Law.  Hoboken, N.J: Terminal Printing & Pub. Co., 1947.  The Second revised edition of this work is freely available online.

French

Cance, Adrien. Le Code de droit canonique: commentaire succinct et pratique.  7. éd. revue et corrigee. Paris: J. Gabalda, 1947.

Cimetier, F. (Francisque). Pour étudier le Code de droit canonique: introduction générale, bibliographie, réponses et décisions, documents complémentaires, 1917-1927 Paris: J. Gabalda, 1927.

Naz, Raoul. Traité de droit canonique (4 vols). Paris: Letouzey et Ané, 1948.

German

Eichmann, Eduard, and Klaus Mörsdorf. Lehrbuch des Kirchenrechts auf Grund des Codex Iuris Canonici. Aufl. München: F. Schöningh, 1965.

Jone, Heribert. Gesetzbuch der lateinischen Kirche: Erklärung der Kanones. Aufl. Paderborn: F. Schöningh, 1951.

Spanish

Cabreros de Anta, et al. Código de derecho canónico y legislación complementaria: texto latino y versión castellana, con jurisprudencia y comentarios.  Madrid: La Editorial Católica, 1976.

Sources: Dr. Edward N. Peter's canon law resources. For more detailed information go to canonlaw.info

1917 Code Development

Pezzani, Enrico Maria. Codex Sanctae Catholicae Romanae Ecclesiae, cum notis.  Romae: E. Berardi, 1894. This work contains proposals for much needed codification. 

Stickler, Alphonso M. (Alphonso Maria). Historia Iuris Canonici Latini Institutiones Academicae.  Torino: Libraria Pontif. Athenaei Salesiani, 1950.

Deshayes, Florent. Memento Juris Ecclesiastici Publici et Privati, at Usum Seminariorum et Cleri.  Ed. novissima recentioribus decretis accomodata. Paris: Lethielleaux, 1902. This work is also available online.

Wiel, Constant van de. History of Canon Law.  Louvain: Peeters Press, 1991.

Peters, Walter H. The Life of Benedict XV. Milwaukee: Bruce Pub. Company, 1959. This work is also available online.

Sources: Dr. Edward N. Peter's canon law resources. For more detailed information go to canonlaw.info

Commentaries on the 1983 Code

English

Exegetical Commentary on the Code of Canon Law. Canon Law Seminar Room (BV 1632 .C65 2004)

Code of Canon Law annotated: Latin-English edition. This is the 2nd revised and updated Latin-English edition. Commentaries translation from the 6th Spanish-language edition. Canon Law Seminar Room (BV 1632 .C65 2004) 

The Canon Law Letter & Spirit: A Practical Guide to the Code of Canon Law (1995). Canon Law Seminar Room (BV 1632 .C24)

Beal, John P.; Coriden, James A.; Green, Thomas J. New Commentary on the Code of Canon Law. Canon Law Seminar Room (BV 1632 .N36 2000)

Coriden, James A.; Green, Thomas J. The Code of Canon Law: A Text and Commentary. Canon Law Seminar Room (BV 1632 .C6)

Spanish

Marzoa Rodríguez, Angel; Miras, Jorge; Rodríguez-Ocaña, Rafael. Comentario Exegético al Código de Derecho Canónico. Five volume set bound in eight volumes. Canon Law Seminar Room (BV 1632 .N34 1996). The library also has the 2nd edition (BV 1632 .N34 1997) as well as the English language edition (BV 1632 .C65 2004).  

Acebal, Juan Luis. Código de Derecho Canónico: Edición Bilingüe Comentada. Stacks (BV 1632 .S2 1995)

Código de Derecho Canónico: Edición Bilingüe y Anotada. Canon Law Seminar Room (BV1632 .N3 2018)

Lombardía, Pedro and Arrieta, Juan Ignacio. Código de Derecho Canónico. 2nd annotated Latin-Spanish edition. Stacks (BV 1632 .N3 1984)

Echeverría, Lamberto de., and Juan Luis. Acebal. Código de Derecho Canónico. 7th revised bilingual edition. Cano Law Seminar Room (BV 1632 .S2 1986)

French

Caparros, Ernest., et al., eds. Code de Droit Canonique. Latin text and French translation. Canon Law Seminar Room (BV1615 1990)

Echeverria, Lamberto de. Code de Droit Canonique Annoté. Stacks (BV 1632 .S214) 

Paralieu, Roger.  Guide Pratique du Code de Droit Canonique: Notes Pastorales. Canon Law Seminary Room (BV 1632 .P3)

Italian

Codice di Diritto Canonico Commentato. 2nd revised, updated, and enlarged edition. Text in Latin with facing Italian translation.  Canon Law Seminar Room (BV 1632 .C62 2004)

Pinto, Pio V. Commento al Codice di Diritto Canonico. 2nd edition (2001). Canon Law Seminar Room (BV 104 .S88 v.1)

German

Aymans, Winfried. Kanonisches Recht: Lehrbuch Aufgrund des Codex Iuris Canonici. Stacks (BV 1626 .A96)

Listl, Joseph and Heribert Schmitz. Handbuch des Katholischen Kirchenrechts. Stacks (BV 1626 .H3 1999)

Sources: Dr. Edward N. Peter's canon law resources. For more detailed information go to canonlaw.info

Other Resources