The Laws of the Church

1. His Holiness explains that the first source of Church laws is the Holy Bible, where clear commandments are found about marriage, divorce, and the rules for clergy, virgins, and widows.

2. He adds that the Old Testament also contains lists of marriage prohibitions in Leviticus, showing that Scripture is not only spiritual but also a book of law and order.

3. He lists other sources of canon law: the Apostolic Canons, ecumenical and local councils, and the writings of the great Fathers such as Basil the Great and Athanasius the Apostolic.

4. He notes that some laws were temporary, issued by the Church to resist heresies, such as the heresy forbidding meat or marriage, emphasizing that laws must be applied with understanding and wisdom.

5. The Holy Councils set rules concerning heresy, apostasy, and priestly order, many of which were very strict in the early centuries, such as long excommunications.

6. Over time, the Church softened these penalties, giving bishops or confessors the pastoral role of determining discipline, since the aim is salvation, not condemnation.

7. He stresses reverence in Church worship, teaching that the house of God is for prayer, not conversation, and that women should cover their heads, while parents must raise their children with care and love.

8. His Holiness concludes that Church laws were made to serve and sanctify man, not to burden him, reminding that holy fear is the beginning of wisdom and the path to purity and godliness.

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