Human rights in the Church...The combination, human rights and the Church, is not always an easy one, although church authorities increasingly promote human rights and their meticulous application in civil society. This book aims to describe human rights in the Church as they already exist today (in the 1983 Code of Cann Law, in everyday practice) and as they can be developed in the future. Human rights in the Church could be promoted by the development of a health legal culture and by simulating independent responsibility among the Christian faithful. By using existing canon law as creatively as possible and by promoting reasonable changes with an eye to the future, the quality of internal church life can be improved without endangering theological foundations. Indeed, good legal structures are a matter of justice. Finally, this book is a plea for constructive dialogue in the Church. The faithful and the hierarchy are not enemies. They share a common source of inspiraton which is not vitiated by their choice of rival philosophical or pastoral options. Indeed, a healthy rivalry between committed Christians can be a real gain for the life of the Church.
Rik Torfs, Dean of the Faculty of Canon Law K.U.Leuven, Lic. Iur., Not., J.C.L., J.C.D. (Leuven). Before joining the faculty of Canon Law, he taught at the University of Utrecht (K.T.U.). He also teaches at Antwerp University (U.I.A.). He is a member of the Executive Committee of the European Consortium for Church and State Research (Milan) and editor of the "European Journal for Church and State". His research and publications are in the field of general norms of Canon Law, Catholic hospitals and schools, marriage law and the realtions between Church and State.