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Temporal goods and their administrationCanon 634. §1 Since they are by virtue of the law juridical persons, institutes, provinces and houses have the capacity to acquire, possess, administer and alienate temporal goods, unless this capacity is excluded or limited in the constitutions.
§2 They are, however, to avoid all appearance of luxury, excessive gain and the accumulation of goods.
§1. Instituta, provinciae et domus, utpote personae iuridicae ipso iure, capaces sunt acquirendi, possidendi, administrandi et alienandi bona temporalia, nisi haec capacitas in constitutionibus excludatur vel coarctetur.
§2. Vitent tamen quamlibet speciem luxus, immoderati lucri et bonorum cumulationis.
Canon 635. §1 Since the temporal goods of religious institutes are ecclesiastical goods, they are governed by the provisions of Book V on ‘The Temporal Goods of the
Church’, unless there is express provision to the contrary.
§2 Each institute, however, is to establish suitable norms for the use and administration of goods, so that the poverty proper to the institute may be fostered, defended and expressed.
§1. Bona temporalia institutorum religiosorum, utpote ecclesiastica, reguntur praescriptis Libri V De bonis Ecclesiae temporalibus, nisi aliud expresse caveatur.
§2. Quodlibet tamen institutum aptas normas statuat de usu et administratione bonorum, quibus paupertas sibi propria foveatur, defendatur et exprimatur.
Canon 636. §1 In each institute, and in each province ruled by a major Superior, there is to be a financial administrator, distinct from the major Superior and constituted in accordance with the institute’s own law. The financial administrator is to administer the goods under the direction of the respective Superior. Even in local communities a financial administrator, distinct from the local Superior, is in so far as possible to be constituted.
§2 At the time and in the manner determined in the institute’s own law the financial administrator and others with financial responsibilities are to render an account of their administration to the competent authority.
§1. In quolibet instituto et similiter in qualibet provincia quae a Superiore maiore regitur, habeatur oeconomus, a Superiore maiore distinctus et ad normam iuris proprii constitutus, qui administrationem bonorum gerat sub directione respectivi Superioris. Etiam in communitatibus localibus instituatur, quantum fieri potest, oeconomus a Superiore locali distinctus.
§2. Tempore et modo iure proprio statutis, oeconomi et alii administratores auctoritati competenti peractae administrationis rationem reddant.
Canon 637. Once a year, the autonomous monasteries mentioned in
can. 615 are to render an account of their administration to the local Ordinary. The local Ordinary also has the right to be informed about the financial affairs of a religious house of diocesan right.
Monasteria sui iuris, de quibus in
can. 615, Ordinario loci rationem administrationis reddere debent semel in anno; loci Ordinario insuper ius esto cognoscendi de rationibus oeconomicis domus religiosae iuris dioecesani.
Canon 638. §1 It is for an institute’s own law, within the limits of the universal law, to define the acts which exceed the purpose and the manner of ordinary administration, and to establish what is needed for the validity of an act of extraordinary administration.
§2 Besides Superiors, other officials designated for this task in the institute’s own law may, within the limits of their office, validly make payments and perform juridical acts of ordinary administration.
§3 For the validity of alienation, and of any transaction by which the patrimonial condition of the juridical person could be adversely affected there is required the written permission of the competent Superior, given with the consent of his or her council. Moreover, the permission of the Holy See is required if the transaction involves a sum exceeding that which the Holy See has determined for each region, or if it concerns things donated to the Church as a result of a vow, or objects which are precious by reason of their artistic or historical value.
§4 For the autonomous monasteries mentioned in
can. 615, and for institutes of diocesan right, the written consent of the diocesan Bishop is necessary.
NB Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated life and Societies of Apostolic Life,
Instruction Cor Orans, 1 April 2018:
52. In derogation from
can. 638, §4 CJC, for the validity of the alienation and of any other transaction by which the patrimonial situation of the monastery could be damaged, the written permission of the Major Superior is required with the consent of the Council or of the conventual Chapter, depending on the value of the sale and the transaction, and the opinion of the Federal President.
[Exemption approved by the Holy Father in a specific form.]
81. As regards the female monasteries entrusted to the particular vigilance of the diocesan Bishop, this is expressed in respect to the monastery community mainly in the cases established by the universal law; as the diocesan Bishop, he:
… d) in derogation from
can. 638, §4 CJC, gives as Local Ordinary, his written consent for particular administrative acts, if established by its proper law.
[Exemption approved by the Holy Father in a specific form.]
108. In derogation from
can. 638, §4 CJC, for the validity of the alienation of the assets of the suppressed monasteries, the President of the Federation and the Federal Council, beyond the value of the asset to be alienated, always and exclusively requires written permission from the Holy See.
[Exemption approved by the Holy Father in a specific form.]
§1. Ad ius proprium pertinet, intra ambitum iuris universalis, determinare actus qui finem et modum ordinariae administrationis excedant, atque ea statuere quae ad valide ponendum actum extraordinariae administrationis necessaria sunt.
§2. Expensas et actus iuridicos ordinariae administrationis valide, praeter Superiores, faciunt, intra fines sui muneris, officiales quoque, qui in iure proprio ad hoc designantur.
§3. Ad validitatem alienationis et cuiuslibet negotii in quo condicio patrimonalis personae iuridicae peior fieri potest, requiritur licentia in scripto data Superioris competentis cum consensu sui consilii. Si tamen agatur de negotio quod summam a Sancta Sede pro cuiusque regione definitam superet, itemque de rebus ex voto Ecclesiae donatis aut de rebus pretiosis artis vel historiae causa, requiritur insuper ipsius Sanctae Sedis licentia.
§4. Pro monasteriis sui iuris, de quibus in
can. 615, et institutis iuris dioecesani accedat necesse est consensus Ordinarii loci in scriptis praestitus.
Canon 639. §1 If a juridical person has contracted debts and obligations, even with the permission of the Superior, it is responsible for them.
§2 If individual members have, with the permission of the Superior, entered into contracts concerning their own property, they are responsible. If, however, they have conducted business for the institute on the mandate of a Superior, the institute is responsible.
§3 If a religious has entered into a contract without any permission of Superiors, the religious is responsible, not the juridical person.
§4 However, an action can always be brought against a person who has gained from a contract entered into.
§5 Superiors are to be careful not to allow debts to be contracted unless they are certain that normal income can service the interest on the debt, and by lawful amortization repay the capital over a period which is not unduly extended.
§1. Si persona iuridica debita et obligationes contraxerit etiam cum Superiorem licentia, ipsa tenetur de eisdem respondere.
§2. Si sodalis cum licentia Superioris contraxerit de suis bonis, ipse respondere debet, si vero de mandato Superioris negotium instituti gesserit, institutum respondere debet.
§3. Si contraxerit religiosus sine ulla Superiorum licentia, ipse respondere debet, non autem persona iuridica.
§4. Firmum tamen esto, contra eum, in cuius rem aliquid ex inito contractu verum est, semper posse actionem instituti.
§5. Caveant Superiores religiosi ne debita contrahenda permittant, nisi certo constet ex consuetis reditibus posse debiti foenus solvi et intra tempus non nimis longum per legitimam amortizationem reddi summam capitalem.
Canon 640. Taking into account the circumstances of the individual places, institutes are to make a special effort to give, as it were, a collective testimony of charity and poverty. They are to do all in their power to donate something from their own resources to help the needs of the Church and the support of the poor.
Instituta, ratione habita singulorum locorum, testimonium caritatis et paupertatis quasi collectivum reddere satagant et pro viribus ex propriis bonis aliquid conferant ad Ecclesiae necessitatibus et egenorum sustentationi subveniendum.
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