ABSTRACT

The Roman Catholic Church is governed by a system of ecclesiastical law found in the Code of Canon Law 1983 (CIC). 1 From its origin, Roman law has always valued the opinions of learned people from various walks of life to assist in decision making and in the interpretation of norms. 2 It is not surprising then, that today the Church encompasses, in its framework of canon law, a reliance on the use of experts in a wide variety of areas of Church governance, both in its administrative and judicial functions.