CHAPTER I. Religious Houses and Their Erection and Suppression

Can.608 A religious community must live in a legitimately established house under the authority of a superior

designated according to the norm of law. Each house is to have at least an oratory in which the Eucharist is to be

celebrated and reserved so that it is truly the center of the community.

Can.609 §1. Houses of a religious institute are erected by the authority competent according to the constitutions,

with the previous written consent of the diocesan bishop.

§2. In addition, the permission of the Apostolic See is required to erect a monastery of nuns.

Can.610 §1. The erection of houses takes place with consideration for their advantage to the Church and the

institute and with suitable safeguards for those things which are required to carry out properly the religious life of

the members according to the proper purposes and spirit of the institute.

§2. No house is to be erected unless it can be judged prudently that the needs of the members will be provided

for suitably.

Can.611 The consent of the diocesan bishop to erect a religious house of any institute entails the right:

1/ to lead a life according to the character and proper purposes of the institute;

2/ to exercise the works proper to the institute according to the norm of law and without prejudice to the

conditions attached to the consent;

3/ for clerical institutes to have a church, without prejudice to the prescript of can. 1215, §3 and to perform

sacred ministries, after the requirements of the law have been observed.

Can.612 For a religious house to be converted to apostolic works different from those for which it was established,

the consent of the diocesan bishop is required, but not if it concerns a change which refers only to internal

governance and discipline, without prejudice to the laws of the foundation.

Can.613 §1. A religious house of canons regular or of monks under the governance and care of its own moderator

is autonomous unless the constitutions state otherwise.

§2. The moderator of an autonomous house is a major superior by law.

Can.614 Monasteries of nuns associated to an institute of men maintain their own way of life and governance

according to the constitutions. Mutual rights and obligations are to be defined in such a way that spiritual good can

come from the association.

Can.615 An autonomous monastery which does not have another major superior besides its own moderator and is

not associated to another institute of religious in such a way that the superior of the latter possesses true power over

such a monastery as determined by the constitutions is entrusted to the special vigilance of the diocesan bishop

according to the norm of law.

Can.616 §1. The supreme moderator can suppress a legitimately erected religious house according to the norm of

the constitutions, after the diocesan bishop has been consulted. The proper law of the institute is to make provision

for the goods of the suppressed house, without prejudice to the intentions of the founders or donors or to legitimately

acquired rights.

§2. The suppression of the only house of an institute belongs to the Holy See, to which the decision regarding

the goods in that case is also reserved.

§3. To suppress the autonomous house mentioned in can. 613 belongs to the general chapter, unless the

constitutions state otherwise.

§4. To suppress an autonomous monastery of nuns belongs to the Apostolic See, with due regard to the

prescripts of the constitutions concerning its goods.