The workings of the law, and canon law in particular, are not the most exciting of subjects, and yet they are important. Right now, in America, thousands of lawyers are no doubt hard at work trying to find ways of overturning President Trump’s Executive Order (the “travel ban”) or at least mitigating its effects. They are doing this because America is a democracy where there is rule of law, and even the Chief Executive has to abide by the law. It is the law that is supreme, not the whim of the ruler. For the ruler’s will to be put into effect it has to be in accord with the law.
10:13 AM
A key principle for the era of Francis and Trump: rulers are not above the law
The Church is not a democracy in the usual sense, but it is a society governed by law
Fr Alexander Lucie-Smith
5 min read
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