Canon law (Catholic Church)

The canon law of the Catholic Church (Ecclesiastical Latin: Jus Canonicum) is the system of laws and legal principles made and enforced by the hierarchical authorities of the Church to regulate its external organization and government and to order and direct the activities of Catholics toward the mission of the Church. It was the first modern Western legal system and is the oldest continuously functioning legal system in the West, while the unique traditions of Oriental canon law govern the 23 sui juris particular Eastern Catholic Churches.