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Processes » The Contentious Trial » The Ordinary Contentious Trial » Proofs » Witnesses and testimonies
Canon 1547. Proof by means of witnesses is admitted in all cases, under the direction of the judge.

Probatio per testes in quibuslibet causis admittitur, sub iudicis moderatione.
Canon 1548. §1 Witnesses must tell the truth to a judge who lawfully questions them.

§2 Without prejudice to the provisions of can. 1550 §2, n. 2 the following are exempted from the obligation of replying to questions:

1° clerics, in those matters revealed to them by reason of their sacred ministry; civil officials, doctors, midwives, advocates, notaries and others who are bound by the secret of their office, even on the ground of having offered advice, in respect of matters subject to this secret;

2° those who fear that, as a result of giving evidence, a loss of reputation, dangerous harassment or some other grave evil will arise for themselves, their spouses, or those related to them by consanguinity or affinity.

§1. Testes iudici legitime interroganti veritatem fateri debent.

§2. Salvo praescripto can. 1550, §2, n. 2, ab obligatione respondendi eximuntur:

1° clerici, quod attinet ad ea quae ipsis manifestata sunt ratione sacri ministerii; civitatum magistratus, medici, obstetrices, advocati, notarii aliique qui ad secretum officii etiam ratione praestiti consilii tenentur, quod attinet ad negotia huic secreto obnoxia;

2° qui ex testificatione sua sibi aut coniugi aut proximis consanguineis vel affinibus infamiam, periculosas vexationes, aliave mala gravia obventura timent.
Processes » The Contentious Trial » The Ordinary Contentious Trial » Proofs » Witnesses and testimonies » Those who can be witnesses
Canon 1549. Everyone can be a witness, unless expressly excluded, whether wholly or in part, by the law.

Omnes possunt esse testes, nisi expresse iure repellantur vel in totum vel ex parte.
Canon 1550. §1 Minors under the age of fourteen years and those who are of feeble mind are not admitted to give evidence. They can, however, be heard if the judge declares by a decree that it would be appropriate to do so.

§2 The following are deemed incapable of being witnesses:

1° the parties in the case or those who appear at the trial in the name of the parties; the judge and his assistant; the advocate and those others who in the same case assist or have assisted the parties;

2° priests, in respect of everything which has become known to them in sacramental confession, even if the penitent has asked that these things be made known.

Moreover, anything that may in any way have been heard by anyone on the occasion of confession, cannot be accepted even as an indication of the truth.

§1. Ne admittantur ad testimonium ferendum minores infra decimum quartum aetatis annum et mente debiles; audiri tamen poterunt ex decreto iudicis, quo id expedire declaretur.

§2. Incapaces habentur:

1° qui partes sunt in causa, aut partium nomine in iudicio consistunt, iudex eiusve assistentes, advocatus aliique qui partibus in eadem causa assistunt vel astiterunt;

2° sacerdotes, quod attinet ad ea omnia quae ipsis ex confessione sacramentali innotuerunt, etsi poenitens eorum manifestationem petierit; immo audita a quovis et quoquo modo occasione confessionis, ne ut indicium quidem veritatis recipi possunt.
Processes » The Contentious Trial » The Ordinary Contentious Trial » Proofs » Witnesses and testimonies » The introduction and exclusion of witnesses
Canon 1551. A party who has introduced a witness may forego the examination of that witness, but the opposing party may ask that the witness nevertheless be examined.

Pars, quae testem induxit, potest eius examini renuntiare; sed adversa pars postulare potest ut nihilominus testis examinetur.
Canon 1552. §1 When proof by means of witnesses is sought, the names and addresses of the witnesses are to be communicated to the tribunal.

§2 The propositions on which the interrogation of the witnesses is requested, are to be submitted within the time-limit determined by the judge; otherwise, the request is to be deemed abandoned.

§1. Cum probatio per testes postulatur, eorum nomina et domicilium tribunali indicentur.

§2. Exhibeantur, intra terminum a iudice praestitutum, articuli argumentorum super quibus petitur testium interrogatio; alioquin petitio censeatur deserta.
Canon 1553. It is for the judge to curb an excessive number of witnesses.

Iudicis est nimiam multitudinem testium refrenare.
Canon 1554. Before witnesses are examined, their names are to be communicated to the parties. If, in the prudent opinion of the judge, this cannot be done without great difficulty, it is to be done at least before the publication of the evidence.

Antequam testes examinentur, eorum nomina cum partibus communicentur; quod si id, prudenti iudicis existimatione, fieri sine gravi difficultate nequeat, saltem ante testimoniorum publicationem fiat.
Canon 1555. Without prejudice to the provisions of can. 1550, a party may request that a witness be excluded, provided a just reason for exclusion is established before the witness is examined.

Firmo praescripto can. 1550, pars petere potest ut testis excludatur, si iusta exclusionis causa demonstretur ante testis excussionem.
Canon 1556. The summons of a witness is effected by a decree of the judge lawfully notified to the witness.

Citatio testis fit decreto iudicis testi legitime notificato.
Canon 1557. A properly summoned witness is to appear, or to make known to the judge the reason for being absent.

Testis rite citatus pareat aut causam suae absentiae iudici notam faciat.
Processes » The Contentious Trial » The Ordinary Contentious Trial » Proofs » Witnesses and testimonies » The examination of witnesses
Canon 1558. §1 Witnesses are to be examined at the office of the tribunal unless the judge deems otherwise.

§2 Cardinals, Patriarchs, Bishops, and those who in their own civil law enjoy a similar favour, are to be heard at the place selected by themselves.

§3 Without prejudice to the provisions of cann. 1418 and 1469 §2, the judge is to decide where witnesses are to be heard for whom, by reason of distance, illness or other impediment, it is impossible or difficult to come to the office of the tribunal.

§1. Testes sunt examini subiciendi in ipsa tribunalis sede, nisi aliud iudici videatur.

§2. Cardinales, Patriarchae, Episcopi et ii qui, suae civitatis iure, simili favore gaudent, audiantur in loco ab ipsis selecto.

§3. Iudex decernat ubi audiendi sint ii, quibus propter distantiam, morbum aliudve impedimentum impossibile vel difficile sit tribunalis sedem adire, firmis praescriptis can. 1418 et 1469, §2.
Canon 1559. The parties cannot be present at the examination of the witnesses unless, especially when there is question of a private interest, the judge has determined that
they are to be admitted. Their advocates or procurators, however, may attend, unless by reason of the circumstances of matter and persons, the judge has determined that the proceedings are to be in secret.

Examini testium partes assistere nequeunt, nisi iudex, praesertim cum res est de bono privato, eas admittendas censuerit. Assistere tamen possunt earum advocati vel procuratores, nisi iudex propter rerum et personarum adiuncta censuerit secreto esse procedendum.
Canon 1560. §1 The witnesses are to be examined individually and separately.

§2 If in a grave matter the witnesses disagree either among themselves or with one of the parties, the judge may arrange for those who differ to meet or to confront one another, but must, in so far as possible, eliminate discord and scandal.

§1. Testes seorsim singuli examinandi sunt.

§2. Si testes inter se aut cum parte in re gravi dissentiant, iudex discrepantes inter se conferre seu comparare potest, remotis, quantum fieri poterit, dissidiis et scandalo.
Canon 1561. The examination of a witness is conducted by the judge, or by his delegate or an auditor, who is to be attended by a notary. Accordingly, unless particular law provides otherwise, if the parties or the promotor of justice or the defender of the bond or the advocates who are present at the hearing have additional questions to put to the witness, they are to propose these not to the witness, but to the judge, or to the one who is taking the judge’s place, so that he or she may put them.

Examen testis fit a iudice, vel ab eius delegato aut auditore, cui assistat oportet notarius; quapropter partes, vel promotor iustitiae, vel defensor vinculi, vel advocati qui examini intersint, si alias interrogationes testi faciendas habeant, has non testi, sed iudici vel eius locum tenenti proponant, ut eas ipse deferat, nisi aliter lex particularis caveat.
Canon 1562. §1 The judge is to remind the witness of the grave obligation to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

§2 The judge is to administer an oath to the witness in accordance with can. 1532. If, however, a witness refuses to take an oath, he or she is to be heard unsworn.

§1. Iudex testi in mentem revocet gravem obligationem dicendi totam et solam veritatem.

§2. Iudex testi deferat iuramentum iuxta can. 1532; quod si testis renuat illud emittere, iniuratus audiatur.
Canon 1563. The judge is first of all to establish the identity of the witness. The relationship which the witness has with the parties is to be probed, and when specific questions concerning the case are asked of the witness enquiry is to be made into the sources of his or her knowledge and the precise time the witness came to know the matters which are asserted.

Iudex imprimis testis identitatem comprobet; exquirat quaenam sit ipsi cum partibus necessitudo et, cum ipsi interrogationes specificas circa causam defert, sciscitetur quoque fontes eius scientiae et quo definito tempore ea, quae asserit, cognoverit.
Canon 1564. The questions are to be brief, and appropriate to the understanding of the person being examined. They are not to encompass a number of matters at the same time, nor be captious or deceptive. They are not to be leading questions, nor give any form of offence. They are to be relevant to the case in question.

Interrogationes breves sunto, interrogandi captui accommodatae, non plura simul complectentes, non captiosae, non subdolae, non suggerentes responsionem, remotae a cuiusvis offensione et pertinentes ad causam quae agitur.
Canon 1565. §1 The questions are not to be made known in advance to the witnesses.

§2 If, however, the matters about which evidence is to be given are so remote in memory that they cannot be affirmed with certainty unless they are recalled beforehand, the judge may, if he thinks this can safely be done, advise the witness in advance about certain aspects of the matter.

§1. Interrogationes non sunt cum testibus antea communicandae.

§2. Attamen si ea quae testificanda sunt ita a memoria sint remota, ut nisi prius recolantur certo affirmari nequeant, poterit iudex nonnulla testem praemonere, si id sine periculo fieri posse censeat.
Canon 1566. The witnesses are to give evidence orally. They are not to read from a script, except where there is a question of calculations or accounts; in this case, they may consult notes which they have brought with them.

Testes ore testimonium dicant, et scriptum ne legant, nisi de calculo et rationibus agatur; hoc enim in casu, adnotationes, quas secum attulerint, consulere poterunt.
Canon 1567. §1 The replies are to be written down at once by the notary. The record must show the very words of the evidence given, at least in what concerns those things which bear directly on the matter of the trial.

§2 The use of a tape-recorder is allowed, provided the replies are subsequently committed to writing and, if possible, signed by the deponents.

§1. Responsio statim redigenda est scripto a notario et referre debet ipsa editi testimonii verba, saltem quod attinet ad ea quae iudicii materiam directe attingunt.

§2. Admitti potest usus machinae magnetophonicae, dummodo dein responsiones scripto consignentur et subscribantur, si fieri potest, a deponentibus.
Canon 1568. The notary is to mention in the acts whether the oath was taken or excused or refused; who were present, parties and others; the questions added ex officio; and in general, everything worthy of record which may have occurred while the witnesses were being examined.

Notarius in actis mentionem faciat de praestito, remisso aut recusato iureiurando, de partium aliorumque praesentia, de interrogationibus ex officio additis et generatim de omnibus memoria dignis quae forte acciderint, cum testes excutiebantur.
Canon 1569. §1 At the conclusion of the examination, the record of the evidence, either as written down by the notary or as played back from the tape-recording, must be communicated to the witness, who is to be given the opportunity of adding to, omitting from, correcting or varying it.

§2 Finally, the witness, the judge and the notary must sign the record.

§1. In fine examinis, testi legi debent quae notarius de eius depositione scripto redegit, vel ipsi audita facere quae ope magnetophonii de eius depositione incisa sunt, data eidem testi facultate addendi, supprimendi, corrigendi, variandi.

§2. Denique actui subscribere debent testis, iudex et notarius.
Canon 1570. Before the acts or the testimony are published, witnesses, even though already examined, may be called for re-examination, either at the request of a party or ex officio. This may be done if the judge considers it either necessary or useful, provided there is no danger whatever of collusion or of inducement.

Testes, quamvis iam excussi, poterunt parte postulante aut ex officio, antequam acta seu testificationes publici iuris fiant, denuo ad examen vocari, si iudex id necessarium vel utile ducat, dummodo collusionis vel corruptelae quodvis absit periculum.
Canon 1571. Witnesses must be refunded both the expenses they incurred and the losses they sustained by reason of their giving evidence, in accordance with the equitable assessment of the judge.

Testibus, iuxta aequam iudicis taxationem, refundi debent tum expensae, quas fecerint, tum lucrum, quod amiserint, testificationis reddendae causa.
Processes » The Contentious Trial » The Ordinary Contentious Trial » Proofs » Witnesses and testimonies » The trustworthiness of testimonies
Canon 1572. In weighing evidence the judge may, if it is necessary, seek testimonial letters, and is to take into account:

1° the condition and uprightness of the witness

2° whether the knowledge was acquired at first hand, particularly ifit was something seen or heard personally, or whether it was opinion, rumour or hearsay;

3° whether the witness is constant and consistent, or varies, is uncertain or vacillating;

4° whether there is corroboration of the testimony, and whether it is confirmed or not by other items of evidence.

In aestimandis testimoniis iudex, requisitis, si opus sit, testimonialibus litteris, consideret:

1° quae condicio sit personae, quaeve honestas;

2° utrum de scientia propria, praesertim de visu et auditu proprio testificetur, an de sua opinione, de fama, aut de auditu ab aliis;

3° utrum testis constans sit et firmiter sibi cohaereat, an varius, incertus vel vacillans;

4° utrum testimonii contestes habeat, aliisve probationis elementis confirmetur necne.
Canon 1573. The deposition of one witness cannot amount to full proof, unless the witness is a qualified one who gives evidence on matters carried out in an official capacity, or unless the circumstances of persons and things persuade otherwise.

Unius testis depositio plenam fidem facere non potest, nisi agatur de teste qualificato qui deponat de rebus ex officio gestis, aut rerum et personarum adiuncta aliud suadeant.

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