The Fundamental Law of Vatican City State of 13 May 2023. Translation and commentary
Konrad Dyda
The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin , Polandhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-2061-7839
Abstract
On 13 May 2023, Pope Francis promulgated a new fundamental law for the Vatican City State. This is the third fundamental law issued for this state. It brought about a number of significant changes, among which the most important seem to be the introduction into the Vatican legal system of the principle of separation of the state order from the Roman Curia and other institutions of the Holy See, as well as a clear provision of a number of solutions constituting the principle of legalism. The changes introduced by this act should be seen in the context of the dynamic development of the Vatican legal system. Currently, they are determined by the ‘adaptation’ of this system to international law standards. However, this does not change the fact that the Vatican legislator continues to assign a fundamental role in the legal system of the Vatican State to canon law. It can be assumed that canon law primarily defines the nature of the Vatican State, is the fundamental source of law, the primary criterion for interpreting statutes, the basis for the reception of Italian law and the limit of the ‘adaptation’ of Vatican law to international law standards, and also sets out the basic principles of the Vatican legal order, especially in the area of procedural law. The last of these areas is interesting in that the Vatican City State has various laws regulating procedural issues, ranging from those adopted from Italian law to those issued specifically for the Vatican City State (Code of Civil Procedure).
Keywords:
The Vatican City State, the Fundamental Law, Vatican law, canon law, reception of law, Italian law, natural lawSupporting Agencies:
Publikacja powstała w wyniku realizacji grantu „Recepcja prawa w systemie prawnym Państwa Miasta Watykańskiego”, finansowanego ze środków Narodowego Centrum Nauki w ramach programu PRELUDIUM na podstawie umowy nr UMO-2021/41/N/HS5/00945.References
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The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2061-7839
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