Preamble

CN NORMS PREAMBLE SECTION 1 #

[1] #

The Society of Jesus intends always to take a very close look at its own nature and mission, in order that, faithful to its own vocation, it can renew itself and adapt its life and its activities to the exigencies of the Church and the needs of the men and women of our times, according to its proper character and charism.1

[2] #

1The character and charism of the Society of Jesus arise from the Spiritual Exercises which our holy father Ignatius and his companions went through. Led by this experience, they formed an apostolic group rooted in charity, in which, after they had taken the vows of chastity and poverty and had been raised to the priesthood, they offered themselves as a holocaust to God,2so that serving as soldiers of God beneath the banner of the cross and serving the Lord alone and the Church his spouse under the Roman Pontiff, the vicar of Christ on earth,3they would be sent into the entire world4for the defense and propagation of the faith and for the progress of souls in Christian life and doctrine.52The distinguishing mark of our Society, then, is that it is at one and the same time a companionship that is religious, apostolic, sacerdotal,6and bound to the Roman Pontiff by a special bond of love and service.7

[3] #

These original and substantial elements of the identity and mission of the Society are contained in the Formulas of the Institute and declared in the Constitutions of the Society of Jesus.8

[4] #

1According to these documents, explained by later general congregations, the mission of the Society consists in this, that as servants of Christ’s universal mission in the Church and in the world of today9we may procure that integral salvation in Jesus Christ which is begun in this life and will be brought to its fulfillment in the life to come.10Therefore the mission of the Society today is defined as the service of faith, of which the promotion of justice is an absolute requirement.112The service of faith and the promotion of justice constitute one and the same mission of the Society. They cannot, therefore, be separated one from the other in our purpose, our action, our life;12nor can they be considered simply as one ministry among others, but rather as that ministry whereby all our ministries are brought together in a unified whole.133This mission also includes, as integral dimensions of evangelization, the inculturated proclamation of the Gospel and dialogue with members of other religions.14Hence, in our mission, the faith that seeks justice is a faith that inseparably engages other traditions in dialogue and evangelizes cultures.15

[5] #

1These Complementary Norms of the Constitutions of the Society of Jesus, for the most part taken principally from decrees of general congregations, try to gather together the principal fruits of today’s renewal as a present-day expression of the genuine image of the Society and as a necessary help in applying its Constitutions according to their deeper requirements.2But if this genuine image of the Society cannot be perfectly converted into normative expressions, these Norms must always be referred back to this image as expressed in the Formula of the Institute and in the Constitutions. For this image is the primary pattern, whose outline the present Norms ought to express by their very nature,16and in whose light they must be interpreted.

CN NORMS PREAMBLE SECTION 2 #

[6] #

1The Society of Jesus, in which all members, each according to the proper mode of his vocation, participate in the same vocation and mission, understood in their broadest as well as their most precise senses,17consists of the following members:1 1Novices, whether destined to become priests or brothers.18Some can also be admitted as indifferents, either on their part or on the part of the Society;19but before the end of the novitiate, they must move out of the state of indifference.201 2Those who at the end of the novitiate and after profession of first vows prepare themselves for or exercise the priesthood or other activities for the assistance of the Society, and after the time required by the particular law governing each one pronounce final vows in one of the two ways indicated below inor. (In the Formula of the Institute21these are called scholastics or coadjutors, but in the Constitutions approved scholastics or temporal coadjutors.221 3Priests and brothers who pronounce final simple vows, of whom some, albeit rarely, can take solemn vows.23(In the Formula of the Institute and in the Constitutions, they are called respectively spiritual coadjutors or temporal coadjutors).241 4Priests professed of four solemn vows.252All candidates are now first admitted as novices, so that after probations and studies and the time required by law have been completed, they may be definitively received into the Society.26

CN NORMS PREAMBLE SECTION 3 #

CN NORMS PREAMBLE SECTION 3 CHAPTER 1 #

[7] #

The term Institute of the Society means both our way of living and working27and the written documents in which this way is authoritatively and legitimately proposed. Among these documents some are laws properly so called; others, however, are documents which inspire or illustrate our spirituality or our way of proceeding or which set forth the legitimate traditions of the Society.28

[8] #

To maintain faithfully the grace of our vocation as described in the Institute, the Spiritual Exercises of our holy founder stands in first place, both as a perennial source of those interior gifts upon which depends our effectiveness in reaching the goal set before us29and as the living expression of the Ignatian spirit that must temper and interpret all our laws.30

[9] #

1The Formula of the Institute or fundamental Rule of the Society has primacy of dignity and authority in the Institute. It was first set down by Paul III (1540), then more exactly and in greater detail by Julius III (1550); it was approved in specific form by many of his successors and has obtained in a special way the status of pontifical law.2There are also other laws of the Institute that have obtained the status of pontifical law, but not all have been approved by the Holy See in the same way; hence they enjoy varying degrees of dignity and authority.3Apostolic letters, rescripts, and indults issued for the Society also pertain to the pontifical law specific to the Society.31

[10] #

The following are also parts of the Institute:3 1The Constitutions and the General Examen, with their respective declarations, which our holy Father Ignatius composed by virtue of an apostolic faculty granted to the Society;32they were reviewed and approved by General Congregation 1.3 2Laws enacted by general congregations and rules approved by them or by their authority.333 3General rules, rules of particular offices, ordinations and instructions, whether for a limited territory or for the whole Society, enacted by the superiors general within their competence.34

[11] #

1The Constitutions, General Examen, and their respective Declarations are of equal authority among themselves35and retain their full authority36unless, in the case of individual determinations when these have been legitimately changed or abrogated by prescriptions of the universal law or by decrees of general congregations, or if the circumstances have so changed that they can no longer be applied; in this case the matter should be declared by a general congregation, or, for the exercise of good governance, by the superior general.2The Latin version of these documents approved by the Fourth General Congregation is to be considered authoritative and can be changed only by a general congregation.3The Spanish autograph version, approved by the First and the Fifth General Congregations, is to be preserved with veneration and can serve as an aid to a congregation and to the superior general in explaining that version.37

[12] #

1Whatever is decreed by a general congregation is presumed to be a law established by it, unless something else is evidently the case according to the nature of the question or because of a positive declaration. Such laws are:1 1The canons and decrees of congregations that contain norms and determinations,1 2The formulas of congregations, that is, of a general congregation, of a province congregation, of a congregation of procurators, of a congregation to elect a temporary vicar,1 3Rules that have been approved by the authority of a general congregation, that is, the Rules of Modesty, composed by St. Ignatius, [rules for] the office of the Vicar General, the rules for assistants, and the rules for the admonitor of the general.2Unless a general congregation declares otherwise, the following do not have the force of law:2 1Decrees passed prior to the election of a general but not subsequently confirmed.2 2Decrees passed subsequent to the election but, by the desire of the congregation, not promulgated.3For the promulgation of decrees, unless a congregation itself has determined otherwise, it is both necessary and sufficient that they are sent to the provinces by the superior general in the name of the congregation, with the purpose of making known in all the houses.38

[13] #

1All rules and ordinances established by the superiors general, unless some other provision is explicitly made, are presumed to be in force as long as they are not revoked by them or by a general congregation.2Whatever additions or changes a superior general, acting on a mandate from a general congregation, makes in rules established by his own authority, in ordinances, or in instructions have the same authority as if they had been made by the superior general acting purely on his own initiative.393Instructions, as understood in our law and practice,40even those issued for the worldwide Society, have only advisory force, unless the contrary is indicated.41

[14] #

What the universal law determines should be inserted in the fundamental code of institutes of consecrated life42are contained in the Formula of the Institute and are declared in the respective places of the Constitutions and the decrees of general congregations that declare or modify them on the topics mentioned above.43

CN NORMS PREAMBLE SECTION 3 CHAPTER 2 #

[15] #

Our Institute, according to the spirit of the Constitutions,44with great care and without deviation in anything,45but at the same time always out of love and desire of all perfection,46by means of discreet charity,47under the direction of superiors,48is to be applied by taking into account persons, places, and times, and other circumstances.49We must always keep in mind the purpose, which is no other than the greater divine service and the good of those who live in this institute.50

[16] #

Should any doubts perchance arise in the Formula of the Institute, the general congregation has the authority to declare them.51

[17] #

Only a general congregation can authoritatively interpret the Constitutions and laws passed by general congregations; however, it is within the power of the superior general to declare the meaning of these documents, as well as of the Formula itself, as regards their practical application to good governance; and his interpretations constitute a preceptive norm.52

[18] #

1The replies of the generals interpreting the Institute, even if given to individual provinces, nevertheless have obligatory force for all provinces as declarative interpretations of law, provided that the general has proposed them as such for the whole Society.2Other replies, even though sent to the whole Society as matters of information, oblige only those provinces to which they are given; for the others, however, they constitute an advisory norm only.53

[19] #

1In particular cases the general can validly dispense from the Constitutions and from laws passed by a general congregation, that is, for individual persons, houses, or provinces, unless in a given matter his power has been limited; he does not licitly dispense, however, unless it is according to the mind of the legislator.54But for rules and ordinations enacted by himself or by his predecessors, he has full power of dispensation from them.2Other superiors have the power of dispensing from these laws to the extent that it has been communicated to them.55

CN NORMS PREAMBLE SECTION 3 CHAPTER 3 #

[20] #

1The substantials or fundamentals of our Institute are, most especially, the matters contained in the Formula of Julius III (1550). For the Formula exhibits the nature, purpose, spirit and character56and the fundamental structure of the Society based, with the help of grace, on the principles of the Gospel and the experience and wisdom of our holy father Ignatius and his companions.2Also among the substantials are included those matters without which the substantials of the Formula can be preserved either not at all or barely. General congregations have the power to state what these substantials are, as they have done at times;57moreover, the superior general has the same power to be exercised on a temporary basis and for the sake of practical application.58

[21] #

1A general congregation can indeed declare substantials contained in the Formula of the Institute, but cannot change them on its own authority. Moreover, a definitive change in them should not be requested of the Holy See without the clearest of reasons, and, if the case warrants it, without previous experimentation.592Substantials outside the Formula of the Institute continue to have stable force unless it should happen that a general congregation judges that the connection of any of them with the substantials of the Formula has been lost or notably weakened. But if there is question of changing them, a general congregation is first to state whether the proposed item to be changed should be considered a substantial outside the Formula of the Institute, according to, and whether a truly serious reason exists for changing it.3In regard to those matters that are not substantials in our Institute, the Constitutions can be changed by a general congregation if a truly reasonable cause recommends it, according to the norms laid down in its Formula.4Decrees and rules of general congregations, as well as rules and ordinations drawn up by superiors general, not only may be changed by the aforesaid authorities in accordance with the competence of each, but also should be changed by those authorities to provide for the continual adaptation of them to the needs of the times.60

[22] #

1It is permitted to provincial congregations to treat of the substantials of the Institute, provided there are serious reasons, and in accordance with the norms laid down in the Formula of the Province Congregation.2When sending postulata to the general or province congregation, all should bear in mind what is said in nos. 20-21; and each, with due love of the patrimony of the Society and with due regard for his own responsibility, should propose what he desires for the renewal and adaptation of the Institute, realizing, moreover, that the light necessary for making such postulata will be obtained not only from dialogue but most of all from prayer.61

[23] #

Every adaptation of the Institute should aim at always establishing whatever seems to contribute most, all things considered, to the knowledge, love, praise, and service of God and to the salvation of souls. For our holy Father Ignatius laid these down as the foundation and first criterion of all our laws.62

  1. GC 31, d. 1, no. 2. ↩︎

  2. See Deliberation of the First Fathers (a. 1539), MHSI, Mon. Ign., Const., I, 2. ↩︎

  3. See FI no. 1. ↩︎

  4. GC 31, d. 1, no. 2. ↩︎

  5. FI no. 1. ↩︎

  6. See GC 34, d. 6, no. 8especially. ↩︎

  7. See GC 32, d. 2, no. 24; see Paul VI, Allocution to the Fathers of GC 32, December 3, 1974. ↩︎

  8. FI nos. 2; 9; see CollDecr d. 12 ( GC 31, d. 4, no. 3). ↩︎

  9. GC 34, d. 1, no. 8. ↩︎

  10. GC 33, d. 1, no. 34. ↩︎

  11. GC 32, d. 4, no. 2; GC 32, d. 2, no. 2. ↩︎

  12. GC 32, d. 2, no. 8; see GC 33, d. 1, no. 38. ↩︎

  13. GC 32, d. 2, no. 9; see GC 33, d. 1, no. 38; GC 34, d. 2, no. 14. ↩︎

  14. GC 34, d. 2, 15, GC 34, d. 2, no. 20. ↩︎

  15. GC 34, d. 2, no. 21. ↩︎

  16. See John Paul II, Const. Apost. Sacrae Disciplinae Leges, AAS (1983), p. xi. ↩︎

  17. See P. V, c. 1, A C_5-511; Examen, c. 1, nos. 7-11 C_0-10- C_0-15; FI passim. ↩︎

  18. See P. V, c. 1, A C_5-511; Examen, c. 1, no. 12 C_0-16; c. 4 no. 17 C_0-72. ↩︎

  19. See Examen, c. 1, no. 11 C_0-15; c. 8, nos. 1-3 C_0-130- C_0-133. ↩︎

  20. CollDecr d. 17 (see GC 4, d. 52). ↩︎

  21. FI no. 9. ↩︎

  22. Const., passim. ↩︎

  23. See FI of Julius III, no. 9; Examen, c. 1, D C_0-11; P. V, c. 3, no. 3 C_5-520. ↩︎

  24. See FI of Julius III, no. 9; Examen, c. 1, no. 9 C_0-13; c. 6, no. 8, A C_0-119, C_0-120, P. V, c. 4, no. 1 C_5-533; no 3 C_5-537. ↩︎

  25. See FI of Julius III, no. 3; Examen, c. 1, no. 8 C_0-12. ↩︎

  26. See CN_5-119; P. V, c. 1, no. 1 C_5-510. ↩︎

  27. See Paul III, “Regimini militantis” (1540); Julius III, “Exposcit debitum” (1550); FI of Paul III, nos. 1, 9; FI of Julius III, nos. 1; 2; 9; Pream., no. 1 C_1-134; P. I, c. 2, no. 4 C_1-152; c. 3, I C_1-186; P. IV, c. 7, no. 3 C_4-398; P. VI, c. 1, no. 1 C_6-547; c. 3, no. 4 C_6-586; c. 5 C_6-602; P. VII, c. 1, no. 1 C_7-603; etc. ↩︎

  28. CollDecr d. 1, a ( GC 31, d. 4, no. 2). ↩︎

  29. See P. X, no. 2 C_10-813. ↩︎

  30. CollDecr d. 1, a ( GC 31, d. 4, n. 2). ↩︎

  31. CollDecr d. 1, a ( GC 31, d. 4, no. 2). ↩︎

  32. Paul III, Regimini militantis; Id., Iniunctum Nobis; Julius III, Exposcit debitum. ↩︎

  33. See CollDecr d. 3, §2; FI of Paul III (1540) and Julius III (1550), no. 2. ↩︎

  34. See CollDecr d. 4, §1 ( GC 1, d. 143; GC 7, d. 76). ↩︎

  35. Pream. to Decl. on Const. C_1-136; P. VI, c. 1, A C_6-548. ↩︎

  36. See CollDecr d. 2. §1. ↩︎

  37. GC 27, CollDecr d. 2, §3 ( GC 1, dd. 15, 78; GC 3, d. 26; GC 5, d. 61). ↩︎

  38. CollDecr d. 3, §§2-4 ( GC 1, d. 115; GC 2, d. 31; GC 3, dd. 4, 33; GC 4, dd. 2, 43-44, GC 4, dd. 2, 48, GC 4, dd. 2, 50; GC 20, dd. 17-18; GC 22, d. 44, no. 7; GC 31, d. 19, no. 15); see P. VIII, c. 7, C C_8-718. ↩︎

  39. CollDecr d. 4, §§2-3 ( GC 1, d. 143; GC 7, d. 76; GC 7, d. 72; see GC 4, d. 3). ↩︎

  40. See Canon 34. ↩︎

  41. CollDecr d. 5 (see GC 7, d. 81). ↩︎

  42. See Canon 587, §1, Canon 588; Canon 426. ↩︎

  43. FI nos. 2; 9. ↩︎

  44. Pream., no. 1 C_1-134. ↩︎

  45. P. VI, c. 5 C_6-602; see Part IV, c. 10, no. 5 C_4-424; P. VI, c. 1, no. 1 C_6-547; P. IX, c. 3, no. 8 C_9-746; c. 6, A C_9-790; P. X, no.13 C_10-826. ↩︎

  46. P. VI, c. 5 C_6-602. ↩︎

  47. See P. II, c. 2, no. 1 C_1-201; no. 5 C_2-217; c. 3, A C_2-219; c. 4, B C_2-237; P. III, c. 1, no. 15 C_3-269; no. 25 C_3-287; P. IV, c. 13, no. 5 C_4-462; P. VI, c. 3, no. 1 C_6-582; P. IX, c. 3, no. 11 C_9-754. ↩︎

  48. See P. IV, c. 10 C_4-424; P. IX, c. 3, no. 8 C_9-746; c. 6, A C_9-790. ↩︎

  49. See Pream. to Decl. on Const. C_1-136; P. II, c. 2, A C_2-211; P. III, c. 2, C C_3-297; P. IV, c. 4, B C_4-343; c. 5, no. 1 C_4-351; c. 7, no. 2 C_4-395; c. 13, A C_4-455; C C_4-458; no. 5 C_4-462; P. VI, c. 2, N C_6-581; P. VII, c. 2, no. 1 C_7-618; P. VIII, c. 1, no. 8 C_8-671; P. IX, c. 3, no. 8 C_9-746; c. 3, no. 11 C_9-754. ↩︎

  50. P. IX, c. 3, no. 8 C_9-746. ↩︎

  51. See FI of Julius III, no. 2. ↩︎

  52. CollDecr d. 9 ( GC 3, d. 33; GC 4, d. 19). ↩︎

  53. GC 27, CollDecr d. 10. ↩︎

  54. See P. IX, c. 3, no. 8, D C_9-746, C_9-747; CollDecr d. 11. ↩︎

  55. See P. IV, c. 10, B C_4-425; P. IX, c. 3, D C_9-747. ↩︎

  56. Canon 578. ↩︎

  57. See GC 27, CollDecr d. 13. ↩︎

  58. CollDecr d. 12 ( GC 31, d. 4, no. 3). ↩︎

  59. See CollDecr d. 14, §§2-3 ( GC 1, d. 16;, GC 31, d. 4, no. 3). ↩︎

  60. CollDecr d. 14, §§1-4 ( GC 7, d. 76; GC 31, d. 4, no. 3). ↩︎

  61. CollDecr d. 15 ( GC 31, d. 4, no. 3). ↩︎

  62. CollDecr d. 14, §5 ( GC 31, d. 4, no. 3). ↩︎