Decretal

Decretals (Epistolae decretales) is the name that is given in Canon Law to those letters of the pope which formulate decisions in ecclesiastical law.

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They are generally given in answer to consultations, but are sometimes due to the initiative of the popes. These furnish, with the canons of the councils, the chief source of the legislation of the church, and formed the greater part of the Corpus Iuris Canonici before they were formally replaced by the Codex Iuris Canonici of 1917. However, Pietro Gasparri who lead the papal commission for the revision of canon law, later on published a guide to the older sources used in the 1917 code. Thus many canons in this code can easily be retraced in their relationship to and dependency on medieval decretals.

Related Topics:
Pope - 1917 - Pietro Gasparri

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In themselves the medieval decretals form a very special source which throws light on medieval conflicts and the approaches to their solution. They are sometimes concerned with very important issues touching on many aspects of medieval life, for example marriage and legal procedure.

Related Topics:
Marriage - Procedure

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