Canon 702 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law, apparently, embodies two ambivalent norms. The first paragraph enunciates that a religious who is legitimately separated from his or her institute cannot make any claim for services rendered while he or she was a member of the institute. The second paragraph urges religious institutes to show equity and evangelical charity towards their separated members. Separation, therefore, engenders practical consequences to a former member as well as to the religious institute. Our study presents an overview of the Church's teaching on religious life, particularly in the light of the Second Vatican Council, in order to explain the rationale behind the principles established in canon 702. The issue of charitable subsidy to ex-religious as legislated in the 1917 Code and the role of the dowry of religious women that was meant to help ex-religious in the past are considered. The evolution of canon 702 and the concepts of "equity" and "evangelical charity" are discussed. This is followed by an analysis of the practical application of canon 702, §2 by some institutes in Europe and North America. Since our study focuses on institutes in Nigeria, we directed our attention on the application of canon 702, §2 by the institutes in Nigeria. Our study reveals that while some of the institutes in Nigeria offer some assistance to their separated members, others do not. While some take certain factors into consideration, others simply give a uniform assistance to all separating members. Religious institutes in Nigeria do not have enough funds to extend reasonable assistance to their separated members. Consequently, former members of religious institutes in Nigeria encounter more problems than their counterparts in Europe and North America. Their problems are compounded by the peculiar socio-cultural expectations that are not experienced by their counterparts elsewhere. Our study concludes by making several important suggestions that are aimed at enabling institutes in Nigeria to extend equitable and charitable assistance to their separated members in accord with the peculiar situation in Nigeria.

This study consisting of four chapters is an examination of the judicial penal procedure for dismissal of a diocesan priest from the clerical state for the commission of certain grave delicts. It mainly focuses on two areas: first, the identification of certain delicts that merit dismissal from the clerical state; second the application of right penal measures to deal with such delicts. While in light of the constant social teaching of the Church, the Code affirms the inviolable dignity and rights of the faithful, it does not fail to assert its right to impose appropriate penalties on members who violate the law (c. 1311). The exercise of personal rights is contingent upon the promotion of common good (c. 223). Therefore, threats to justice, gravity of scandal and contumacy of an offender necessitate the imposition of appropriate penalties (c. 1341). The right of a competent ecclesiastical authority to impose penalty presupposes proper understanding of delicts and penalties prescribed in the Code. By and large, penal laws operate in the juridical not moral sphere; that is to say, while all delicts are sinful, not all sins are considered delicts before law (I Jn. 5, 17). Delicts and penalties operate solely in the external forum. In order to impose appropriate penalties, the ecclesiastical superior must evaluate various factors that affect imputability and other factors related to delict (cc. 1322-1327). It is not uncommon for clerical delicts to be punished with severe penalties because they are a breach of trust and against the integrity of the sacrament of Orders. Clerical delicts against human dignity, celebration of the sacraments and morals are considered more serious; and some of them are reserved to the Apostolic See. In judging the clerical delicts meriting the serious expiatory penalty of dismissal from the clerical state, the Code prefers judicial procedure which guarantees better the right of defence (c.1620, 7°) and counterchecks possible arbitrariness. A judicial penal procedure follows the norms of the ordinary contentious process (cc. 1501-1670) and the canons on penal process provided in the Code (cc. 1717-1731). The norms which supplement the Code are to be observed for reserved delicts. The faithful observance of substantive and procedural norms will safeguard the superior from slipping away from justice and the protection of rights. The lawfully imposed penalty of dismissal from the clerical state on a guilty cleric results in certain prohibitions and deprivations such as the deprivation of exercise of sacred ministry, office, power, function, faculty, privilege, etc. All rights and obligations pertaining to the clerical state become extinct (cc. 273-283) except the obligation of celibacy (c. 291). Because the expiatory penalty of dismissal from the clerical state has severe consequences for the offending cleric, Christian charity in the application of the prescripts of the Code calls for justice and equity recommended by the Code for cases involving dismissal from the clerical state.

L'auteur de la thèse traite de "la formation des prêtres diocésains au Bénin à la lumière de la législation canonique actuelle". Former des prêtres pour l'Église est une question toujours actuelle, liée au droit de l'Église et qui doit être avant tout abordée comme telle. La science canonique a besoin de progresser en cette matière, tant pour l'Église tout entière que pour chaque église particulière. Dans sa recherche, l'auteur focalise l'attention sur le lien entre le droit universel et le droit particulier, spécialement en ce qui concerne la formation sacerdotale dans son pays d'origine le Bénin. Depuis le Concile Vatican II, en effet, deux critères sont à envisager désormais par ceux à qui il revient d'oeuvrer dans la formation sacerdotale: il s'agit de concilier les principes d'universalité et d'adaptation. Après avoir décrit les grands traits qui caractérisent le Bénin et son Église, l'auteur propose une synthèse de la formation des clercs à travers l'histoire de l'Église. Par la suite, en se servant des nombreuses publications du Siège apostolique, il présente la législation actuelle en précisant les quatre dimensions de toute formation sacerdotale: humaine, spirituelle, intellectuelle et pastorale. Il évalue ensuite les normes de la Ratio institutionis sacerdotalis du Bénin à la lumière de cette législation universelle actuelle. Il propose enfin une série de recommandations pratiques pouvant permettre à l'Église au Bénin de mieux adapter la formation de ses prêtres aux défis concrets du pays. Selon lui, l'inculturation ne doit pas être seulement un aspect de la formation, elle doit en être le moteur principal.

Before the Second Vatican Council, ecclesiastical legislation reflected uniformity throughout the entire Church. The Second Vatican Council however, placed greater emphasis on canonical institutes that best provided for the good of souls (salus animarum). Thus, to provide for the greater good of souls, c. 522 of the 1983 Code determines it is necessary that a parish priest has the benefit of stability in office and so he is to be appointed for an indeterminate period. The diocesan bishop can appoint him for a specified period only if the bishops' conference has, by decree, allowed this. The decree of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria (= CBCN), in response to the prescript of c. 522, is defective and fails to provide for the required stability for the office of a parish priest. The confusion caused by this single decree raised the question as to the status of the rest of the decrees of the conference that might give rise to similar or related problems. This situation informed the choice of our topic---the relationship between universal law and particular law: an analysis of the particular complementary norms of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria. Our project focused on a critical analysis of the complementary norms of CBCN to determine whether they complement the universal law or go contrary to it. Since the end of Canon Law is the salvation of souls, we gave special attention to the institute that best provides for this objective, that is, the office of the parish priest. Our study shows that CBCN performed fairly well in its complementary norms, putting into consideration the time the norms were published and how fast they were put together. However, some of the decrees are inadequate and one might be tempted to say that such decrees are contrary to law ( contra legem). We consider them apart from the law in view of the recognitio they have received from the Holy See. We concluded our study with some suggestions that we hope could assist CBCN in the review of its particular complementary norms.

The church's law dealing with incardination is a venerable ancient guarantor of its highest values with regard to community, holy orders, ministry, and the content of faith. By establishing a juridic protection for a permanent relational bond, incardination provides the context within which these are enabled to be vivid, dynamic, and reciprocally life/Life giving. Explored in light of the Legislator's intent as that was given shape and substance in the Post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores dabo vobis, incardination is lifted up from a flat uni-dimensional and somewhat narrow juridic plane, to become something rich and multi-dimensional. When this is combined with the work of Oblate theologian David N. Power, it is learned that incardination involves a series of attitudes that invite a range of spiritual and pastoral decisions that make koinonia (fellowship or collaboration; Christ's ministry of love), diakonia (service; Christ's ministry of service), martyrion (witness; Christ's proclamation of the word), and leitourgia (worship; the origin and ultimate end of Christ's entire ministry)---the God-life---possible. This leads to the formulation of a new definition for incardination that pushes doors ajar inviting new exploration. The Pastoral Office of Priests and its Relationship to the Canonical Institute of Incardination is a historical exploration into one of the church's oldest canonical institutes. By returning to the most fundamental of sources, the New Testament, it seeks to discover the root of a spiritual bond that identifies those in the ministerial priesthood. The Fathers of the Church are consulted, together with early conciliar decrees, and ordination rites extant in ancient times, in order to understand the pastoral bond that unites priests and their bishops. The Council of Trent and legislation found in the 1917 Codex Iuris Canonici are explored in order to learn the specific nature of the juridic bond formally called incardination. Pope John XXIII initiated a new fuller understanding of the theology of ordained ministry that was eventually reflected by the Conciliar Fathers in Presbyterorum ordinis, and enveloped in the 1983 Code of Canon Law. This is identified as a movement toward a unified understanding of incardination with implications for the church today.

<p> This dissertation looks at the impact of common stressors on the offspring of classical Pentecostal Hispanic/Latino Pastors in the greater New York Area, especially as these relate to their retention in the Christian faith. Chapter 1 covers the context and purpose of the study, and outlines the problem, the research model, and the theological framework. The literature review in Chapter 2 explores what a healthy pastoral lifestyle should look like and reviews possible reasons why some PKs leave the Christian faith and others do not. Chapter 3 presents the quantitative and qualitative data collected from PK surveys, Non-PK surveys, and interviews. The findings in Chapter 4 support the hypothesis that PKs who remain in the faith tend to have lower PK stressor inventory scores than PKs who leave the faith. The interpretation of the data includes possible causes, trends, and implications for PKs and their home and church environment. The findings support an argument for a more effective support system for PKs in response to the unique and complex challenges they face. The recommendations made in Chapter 5 are thus for solid strategies that will support the PK population through education, strategic spiritual formation, specialized conferences, small groups and networking. </p>

<p> This phenomenological study explores the lived experiences of female ministers serving in pastoral leadership within the church. This study involved selecting 12 female pastors actively serving congregations within the Richmond, Virginia, Tri-Cities area. The purpose of this study was to illuminate the details of living and serving as a female pastoral leader, and the inner motivations to achieve top-tier leadership and experiences with female-to-female mentorship. The female pastoral leaders participated in a three-tier face-to-face interview process. Prior to conducting the core research, a pilot study of two female pastoral participants tested the alignment of research questions and interview process. Including the pilot study and core research, the total number of participants was 14. The 12 participant interview transcripts were collected as data and analyzed using NVivo 10&reg; qualitative software. Five themes emerged from the collected data: a) pastoral leadership: personal calling and motivations, b) preparedness: education and training, c) positive support: family, church, and community, d) passion: reaching and helping people, and e) preceptor: mentoring and connections with other female ministers. Five implications resulted from the study. Female pastoral leaders demonstrate self-determination and motivation. They obtain professional degrees and seminary training. Positive support from family, church, and community are major components for women achieving pastoral leadership. Female pastors have a passion for reaching people. Women in pastoral leadership need mentors and need to share their stories with other women who aspire to lead.</p>

This study clarifies the ecclesiologies of H. Richard Niebuhr and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Both Niebuhr and Bonhoeffer were theologians who wrote from within and for the church. / Three questions are addressed in this dissertation. First, how do Niebuhr and Bonhoeffer define the nature of the church? Second, how do Niebuhr and Bonhoeffer understand the purpose of the church and its ministry? Third, what are their positions regarding the relation of the church to the world? / After introducing the project, Niebuhr's and Bonhoeffer's respective ecclesiologies are described, analyzed, and compared. I argue in support of three hypotheses; first, ecclesiology is a consistently central concern in the theology of both Niebuhr and Bonhoeffer. Second, in spite of disparate backgrounds, similarities exist in their constructive ecclesiologies with particular reference to an emphasis upon the social self and community. Third, their respective ecclesiologies led them to a non-sectarian understanding of the church-world relationship and to an ethic of "responsibility." The thesis demonstrated in this dissertation is that their interpretation of the nature and purpose of the church were keys to their theology and ethics. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 52-02, Section: A, page: 0576. / Major Professor: Leo Sandon. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1990.

The reaction of the Church of the Nazarene to the historical critical method of Biblical study has been displayed several ways. This dissertation addresses the issue as it emerged in three areas, which are clearly focused. Three voices are defined within the church that speak for the primary factions within the denomination. These voices provide a basis for understanding the diversity of perspectives within the church as it reacts to critical methodologies. / The first reaction can be observed in the formation of the Doctrine of Inspiration within the Church of the Nazarene amid the Fundamentalist-Modernist controversy of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. / A second reaction can be found in the controversy surrounding the advent of the Revised Standard Version (1952) and the New International Version (1978) of the Bible. These modern translations utilize historical critical methods and provide a focal point for analysis. / A third reaction to the Historical Critical Method of Biblical Study can be viewed in the relationship between Critical Biblical scholars and the church. The tension between the church and its critical scholars exhibits the reaction of the church to modern critical analysis of scripture. / A solution is suggested that would enable the church to work with critical scholarship instead of react against the discipline. This solution calls for a corrective voice which would embody mutual trust between the voices so that a proper balance could be established between the church and critical scholarship. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 56-03, Section: A, page: 0979. / Major Professor: John Priest. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1995.

<p> People hunger for God's word. With that in mind, this thesis helps to educate and encourage those entrusted with the ministry of preaching toward a better understanding of how their bodies are integrally involved in the production and delivery of the preaching event, as well as in the proclamation of the Word. To show endorsement from the hierarchy, ecclesial documents (as well as scripture) that demonstrate support for using embodied communication in the ministry of the Word are discussed. </p><p> To set the scene for studying embodied communication in preaching, relevant physiological factors and a cooperative model of communication are seen as providing the infrastructure that gives rise to our ability to communicate so adeptly. </p><p> A historical survey demonstrates how gesture studies have benefitted the church and secular society through the ages. </p><p> Gesture, a subsection of the much larger category of embodied communication, is analyzed from different perspectives: defining, describing, and attributing specific benefits for speakers and receivers alike. Gestures are universal among humans, drawn from our experiences of the world, a co-production of thought, and synchronous with speech. Gestures can share characteristics and form families with a semantic theme or they can be classified in elastic categories. Beyond gesture, the categories of embodied communication of proxemics, oculesics, and physical display also further homiletic understanding. The discovery of mirror neurons and their application to object lessons in preaching will be introduced. </p><p> Preaching excerpts are used to showcase academic findings. The interrogatory investigative method is used with a test group and could be easily adopted for a homiletic classroom.</p>