BOOK V :
THE TEMPORAL GOODS OF THE CHURCH
Can.
1254 §1 The catholic Church has the inherent right, independently of any
secular power, to acquire, retain, administer and alienate temporal goods, in
pursuit of its proper objectives.
§2 These
proper objectives are principally the regulation of divine worship, the
provision of fitting support for the clergy and other ministers, and the
carrying out of works of the sacred apostolate and of charity, especially for
the needy.
Can.
1255 The universal Church, as well as the Apostolic See, particular Churches
and all other public and private juridical persons are capable of acquiring,
retaining, administering and alienating temporal goods, in accordance with the
law.
Can.
1256 Under the supreme authority of the Roman Pontiff, ownership of goods
belongs to that juridical person which has lawfully acquired them.
Can.
1257 §1 All temporal goods belonging to the universal Church, to the Apostolic
See or to other public juridical persons in the Church, are ecclesiastical
goods and are regulated by the canons which follow, as well as by their own
statutes.
§2 Unless
it is otherwise expressly provided, temporal goods belonging to a private
juridical person are regulated by its own statutes, not by these canons.
Can.
1258 In the canons which follow, the term Church signifies not only the
universal Church or the Apostolic See, but also any public juridical person in
the Church, unless the contrary is clear from the context or from the nature of
the matter.
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