The common perception of Pope Francis is that he is a Pope without much time for laws, preferring a more freewheeling “pastoral” approach in his leadership. This public impression notwithstanding, the Francis pontificate has seen a number of important legal reforms, including major revisions to the way marriage tribunals operate, how diocesan bishops are held to account, and, of course, the ongoing structural reforms of the Roman Curia. All signs suggest that the changes will keep coming.
Today Pope Francis issued a new Apostolic Letter, issued motu proprio, in which he introduced changes to some eleven canons of the Code of Canon Law. The general thrust of the reforms is to bring certain aspects of the Code of Canon Law, which governs the Latin Church (the West, broadly speaking), into line with the provisions of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches.
