Jus remonstrandi

In the canon law of the Catholic Church, jus remonstrandi (Latin for "right of objection") is the legal right to protest a Papal bull, edict, or law.^[1] The right is usually only provided to a Catholic bishop or other high ecclesiastical official.^[2][3]

Contemporary exercise

In 1994, Belgian politician and canonist Rik Torfs appealed to bishops to exercise their jus remonstrandi to protest the Papal letter Ordinatio sacerdotalis, which ended the debate on ordination of women to the Catholic priesthood.^[4]

References

1. Torbet, Ronald. "Authority and Obedience in the Church Today— II", New Blackfriars, Volume 50, Issue 592, pages 626–32, September 1969.
2. Guth, Hans-Jurgen. "Ius Remonstrandi: A Bishop's Right in Law to Protest". Revue de droit canonique 2002, Volume 52, Number 1, pp. 153-65, specifically Notes 231, 234, 235, and 238.
3. Müller, Hubert. "How the Local Church Lives and Affirms Its Catholicity", The Jurist, Volume 52, 340 (1992).
4. Torfs, Rik. "A Healthy Rivalry: Human Rights in the Church" in Louvain Theological and Pastoral Monographs, Volume 20. Peeters Publishers, 1992. ISBN 978-90-6831-762-6.