"James Coriden offers a vision of canon law in the Catholic Church - seeing it not as an instrument of control but as a guide and guarantee of freedom for believers. In the process he emphatically joins the ongoing debate about the role of church law, a debate that he believes "will have profound implications for the long term," possibly reshaping the law and indeed "the very face of the church." While his message is addressed primarily to professional canonists, it will resonate among all Catholics who care about the way their church functions." "The view of canon law that unfolds in these pages is that of a ministry that upholds the freedom of believers and the good order of the community. This is based on the assumption that "church" is first of all a local community rather than a global structure. The test of effective law depends upon its service to the lived experience of its members in their own cultural, economic and social situations." "The concluding section of this book sets forth "An Urgent Agenda for the Future of the Ministry," particularly in the way church law is revised and amended."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Includes entries for maps and atlases.

This book offers an in-depth analysis of a fundamental human freedom and a cornerstone of democracy: the Freedom of Religions or Beliefs (FoRB). The book focuses on the legal protection and promotion of FoRB in Europe because, in this context, exercising this right goes beyond a mere internal positioning in terms of legislation; rather, it is influenced by international and supranational case law, as well as the promotional activities of selected non-state subjects of international law. The content is divided into three sections: Part I on the European Convention of Human Rights, Part II on the EU, and Part III on other international actors. The first two Parts examine FoRB in its systematic aspects and “day-to-day” aspects. In contrast, the third Part highlights the promotional activities carried out by the Holy See, the ILO, the Council of Europe (“beyond the Strasbourg Court”), and the OSCE to promote, recommend or otherwise support it. Overall, the volume highlights how the exercise of FoRB can be ensured via international and supranational legal protection (both normative and judicial) and via promotional activities aimed at encouraging and helping states guarantee tolerance and pluralism in their national legislation. The 16 main chapters offer a broad overview of the topic under investigation. Each contribution can be seen as a stand-alone study and, simultaneously, as a link in a chain of legal analysis that connects multiple FoRB-focused questions. The book offers a valuable tool for all readers with an academic or professional interest in FoRB and those who have to address the issue of how to protect this freedom. It is intended not only for academics who work in the field of law but also for legal practitioners (judges, lawyers, diplomats), human rights advocates, members of religious and spiritual communities, policymakers and students.