RESPONSIBILITY OF MONKS IN THE CONTEXT OF LAW AND SOCIETY
RESPONSIBILITY OF MONKS IN THE CONTEXT OF LAW AND SOCIETY

Summary/Abstract: In the course of history, ecclesiastical life has been imbued by secular beliefs, embodied in human endeavour to get a strong foothold in the Church. Since Emperor Constantine’s era, the idea that matured in the ecclesiastical consciousness was that the fundamental principle underlying the organization of ecclesiastical life lay in the domain of law. Nevertheless, in contrast to positive law, canon law is not an expression of the will of an individual or the congregation; instead, it comprises rules deriving from the nature of the Church. The Church, just like any other organism, is governed by two tenets: the static organization, and its dynamic life function. Thus, the responsibility of monks can be perceived either in line with canonic law or within the social context, whereby these tenets are inalienable since there can be no life without organization, nor can there be organization without life. In case a member abandons an organization, regardless of the reasons behind such action (be it voluntary or through the power of law), positive law prescribes that all ties between the said organization and its former member are to be dissolved. On the other hand, in case a penalized monk is obliged to leave the monastery due to the gravity of the pronounced sanction, he is entitled (as a former member) to preserve the status of a Christian. This point derives from the fact that baptism constitutes an indelible fact of spiritual life. This paper examines the subject matter of monks’ responsibility for violation of canon law, by comparing the mediaeval and contemporary sources of the Serbian canon law, in view of identifying changes in the said period and drawing the most accurate conclusions.

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