Admittedly, Canon 1752 in the Code of Canon Law may not seem, at first, like a terribly engaging canon.

It’s the last canon in the seventh book of canon law, the book that deals with processes — in other words, a lot of administrative minutiae that would make the eyes roll back in the head of even the keenest churchgoer. This particular canon alone doesn’t mean much at all, unless one has an understanding of the canons that precede it.

In fact, it reads like a lot of legalese — at least until those very final words: “The salvation of souls, which must always be the supreme law in the Church, is to be kept before one’s eyes.”

The salvation of souls. That’s it, really — what it all comes down to. Seven books of legal codes and close to 2,000 canons summing up two millennia of norms that have governed the life of the Universal Church since the days of the Roman Empire. But all of it, every word, is ordered to the same end.

“The salvation of souls is the purpose of canon law,” said Dr. Zabrina Decker, canon lawyer and Tribunal Chancellor for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. “The canons are there to organize the Church and the sacramental life of the Church.”

So having a bishop or archbishop who is expertly versed in these laws is a boon to both the organization of the Church and its spiritual life, said Dr. Decker. It’s a benefit the Archdiocese of Milwaukee experienced under the episcopacy of Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki, who holds degrees in both civil and canon law. It’s one that will be repeated in the episcopacy of Archbishop Jeffrey S. Grob, who was installed as the 12th Archbishop of Milwaukee on Jan.14.

Archbishop Grob obtained a Doctorate of Canon Law — the highest degree that can be achieved in the field — in 2007 from the University of St. Paul in Ottawa. The staff at the Metropolitan Tribunal, which represents the Church’s court system for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and the ecclesiastical province for which it is responsible, are thrilled to welcome another fellow canon lawyer to the Mary Mother of the Church Pastoral Center.

“A lot of what being the bishop in a diocese requires is governance, and to have somebody who knows the law, and understands the law and has studied the law extensively (means) they speak the language you speak,” said Fr. John LoCoco, Judicial Vicar for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. “I think it just makes the avenue toward collaborative ministry a lot simpler.”

Priests receive a year of canon law instruction as part of their seminary formation, but the main emphasis of that study is on sacramental law, said Fr. LoCoco. Some, like him, are sent on to achieve their licentiate in can law at a pontifical university in Rome or an ecclesiastical faculty of canon law. But, by and large, priests are not experts on canon law — and neither are bishops, though increasingly, many bishops do have a background in the specialty.

Archbishop Listecki’s expertise in canonical and civil law meant that “we were able to bring him issues, especially with the work that we do here in the tribunal,” said Dr. Decker.

She expects to enjoy a similar collaboration with Archbishop Grob.

“A lot of bishops don’t get involved in their tribunals, and so they don’t necessarily know the language of the tribunal, where Archbishop Listecki did,” she said. “And Archbishop Grob will know the language of the tribunal, and that’s very helpful when it comes to our ministry. It’s definitely a plus for him, and for us.”

What is canon law?

Canon law has been in existence for centuries and is the oldest continuously functioning legal system in the Western world. Its history can be divided into distinct periods, but its development has been largely organic, said Fr. LoCoco.

“Canon law grew out of an environment of Roman law and Semitic law, and developed over centuries,” said Fr. LoCoco. “This is a lot of what Paul and Peter and the early Apostles, as they began to spread the Gospel, were concerned with: what does it mean to be a Catholic? How do we gather, how do we pray? What does it mean to be a member? That’s canon law, in action.”

“Law follows life,” said Dr. Decker. “When I teach, that’s one of the first things that I tell my students. The Church didn’t come up with canon law arbitrarily. There were questions, there were issues, there were challenges as to how to best function in the life of the Church. And law follows life. (As canon lawyers) we are organizing the life of the Church through her law.”

The word canon comes from the Greek word kanōn and means “rule,” but Dr. Decker and Fr. LoCoco feel the codes are anything but restrictive. Quite the opposite, in fact.

“It really is quite life-giving, when you look at it. It can be quite freeing,” said Dr. Decker. “A lot of people believe that law is constricting, but it really isn’t. It’s something that helps us organize ourselves and keep ourselves on the right path.”

“I remember hearing a talk one evening by a priest in seminary pertaining to canon law. And he said it took him many years of priesthood to realize that the law of the Church was much more pastoral than he was,” said Fr. LoCoco. “When you apply the law well and consistently, and with equity and care, the Church has some brilliant wisdom in how she guides people back to her and maintains their dignity therein.”

Fr. John LoCoco