Then manner in which the juridical order and the moral order are related
between themselves is a question which continues to be debated even in our
times. The cultivors of the moral sciences and of the Philosophy of Law, as well
as those of Canon Law, dedicate arduous studies to this. The author, in brief
annotations only, submits sorne points for an ulterior consideration, principally
those which are related to Canon Law.
l. Previous Questions:
a) What is the moral order? Ordinarily, the moral order is identified with
the relations which man observes under the orientation of laws and precepts
related to God. It can be defined even better still as «the dimension of the
order convenient to man as person»; that is, the sum of the exigencies which
stem from the «ontological» structure of man as personal being. This definition
or description provides us with many useful facts.
b) What is Law? This generally indicates the social order or the order of
the human community, inasmuch as it is composed and ordained organically, from
whence the notes of .positivity» and «historicity» are deduced. Also, Canon Law
is law or «social order» which governs the People of God and which, for the
«community», has a temporal and historical dimensiono And, the communitary lite
of its members, the same as its reciprocal relations, must be ordained according
to the principies of Justice.
11. The Moral Foundation of the Narms af Lavv.
The moral arder (of persons) and the juridical order (of communities, with
respect to the social dimension of persons) must be distinguished, however, and
must not be separated radically the one from the other, beca use both deal with
persons. Law pre-establishes for itself a high «value», that is, Justice, in reason
of its end; yet its rules can not ignore the arder of «persons». The juridical
order will not be a complete reproduction of the norms of morality; even when
it should be in consonance with the moral norm, the juridical norm will not
urge always, nor will it urge in all the exigencies of the moral order.
111. Existing Nexuses betwe'en the Moral Order and Law.
The first problem refers to the obligation which the human laws impose upon
the moral conscience: the human society has roots -in the social condition of
the human person, and therefore, fundamentally, in the will of the Creator- such
that real obligations of responsibility and solidarity arise, whose weight is not
yet determined in the ecclesiastical community, neither mechanically nor in a
uniform manner, but they are known by the objective examination of the norms
of Law and of its ends (often bearing in mind the rules for interpreting Law:
think, for example, of .equity» and «epiqueía»). The author dedicates a particular
and prudent investigation to the interpretation of the clause «gravitar onerata
concientia» which is used in Canon Law.
The second question is about the conflict which can arise between the dictates
of one's own conscience and the human law (be it in itself, be it in its
application to a certain concrete case). The general principie which imposes obedience
in relation to the dictates of conscience is both known and clear.
The third question is put by those who favour the new ideas about ecclesiastical
law, and, aboye al!, its relation to personal conscience for which certain
norms of Canon law (founded in the norms of morality) would barely have
«ideal» or «indicative» value. Therefore, there would not yet exist obligatory
juridical norms (that is, a real .law» would not exist).
This thesis cannot be accepted. Ergo, the Christian community knows as its
foundation the revealed message which promulgates the moral exigencies emanated
from the institutional wil! of Christ. The observance of the moral norms is
an essencial element of the «testimony» of the Church, whose juridical ordinances
and social structures must respond to the moral message of the Christian
Doctrine. Save for error -always possible- the law of the Church finds in the
Christian message, legitimately transmitted, a criterion which obliges.