PART III : SACRED PLACES AND TIMES

TITLE I: SACRED PLACES (Cann. 1205 - 1243)

Can. 1205 Sacred places are those which are designated for divine worship or for the burial of the faithful by a

dedication or a blessing which the liturgical books prescribe for this purpose.

Can. 1206 The dedication of any place belongs to the diocesan bishop and to those equivalent to him by law; they

can entrust the function of carrying out a dedication in their territory to any bishop or, in exceptional cases, to a

presbyter.

Can. 1207 Sacred places are blessed by the ordinary; the blessing of churches, however, is reserved to the diocesan

bishop. Either of them, moreover, can delegate another priest for this purpose.

Can. 1208 When the dedication or blessing of a church or the blessing of a cemetery has been completed, a

document is to be drawn up, one copy of which is to be kept in the diocesan curia and another in the archive of the

church.

Can. 1209 The dedication or blessing of any place is sufficiently proven by one witness who is above suspicion,

provided that no harm is done to anyone.

Can. 1210 Only those things which serve the exercise or promotion of worship, piety, or religion are permitted in a

sacred place; anything not consonant with the holiness of the place is forbidden. In an individual case, however,

the ordinary can permit other uses which are not contrary to the holiness of the place.

Can. 1211 Sacred places are violated by gravely injurious actions done in them with scandal to the faithful, actions

which, in the judgment of the local ordinary, are so grave and contrary to the holiness of the place that it is not

permitted to carry on worship in them until the damage is repaired by a penitential rite according to the norm of the

liturgical books.

Can. 1212 Sacred places lose their dedication or blessing if they have been destroyed in large part, or have been

turned over permanently to profane use by decree of the competent ordinary or in fact.

Can. 1213 The ecclesiastical authority freely exercises its powers and functions in sacred places.