Chair of Canon Law

The team of the Chair of Canon Law welcomes you on these pages. Here we inform you about the profile of our department, the tasks of the chair, introduce the staff and their main areas of research. You will also find current information about conferences and excursions.

News

Professor Myriam Wijlens, a Dutch theologian, canon lawyer and advisor to several Vatican authorities who teaches in Erfurt, shared deep insights into the value of listening, the path of synodality and the importance of diversity and inclusion in the…

Dealing adequately with accusations of sexual abuse, especially of minors, is an ongoing task for the Catholic Church. It is necessary to take note of the ever-changing standards and procedural rules in both the state and church sectors. Recently,…

At its meeting in February 2024 in Indonesia, the Faith and Constitution Commission of the World Council of Churches, based in Geneva, elected the Dutch Catholic theologian and Professor of Canon Law at the University of Erfurt, Prof. Dr. Myriam…

The 2023 synod summit in the Vatican ended with a series of openings for reform, including on the role of women, training of priests and a re-think of the church’s sexual teaching.

Podcast

Events

No news available.

Course "The Wellbeing of the Child: Promotion - Protection - Rights" in the Studium Fundamentale in the winter semester 2024 in German

The Professorship of Canon Law cordially invites you to the course "The Wellbeing of the Child: Promotion - Protection - Rights" in the winter semester 2024/2025. Methodologically speaking, this is a series of lectures in which experts will examine the topic of "child welfare" from various perspectives.

Registrationfor the course takes place via the central distribution procedure: https: //www.uni-erfurt.de/studium/studium-fundamentale/verteilungsverfahren. The course will be held in German.

StuFu "The Wellbeing of the Child: Promotion-Protection-Rights"

Information: The Wellbeing of the Child: Promotion-Protection-Rights
This Seminar is a multi-dimensional course, aimed to students from diverse academic studies who are interested in gaining interdisciplinary knowledge concerning the wellbeing of the children. The purpose of the course is to reflect on the notion of wellbeing of children from some of the most relevant perspectives, such as legal, medical, social, psychological, ethical, theological etc.
Students will be able to appreciate and understand the multidimensional aspects that come into play when attending to the wellbeing of children. Different disciplines offer their own valuable contribution and need to be seen in connection to each other.
From a methodological perspective: this course will be offered as a Module of the Studium Fundamentale during the winter-semester 2024/2025. It consists of a series of weekly lectures given by different experts from around the world. Guest lecturers will give an online 60-minute presentation in their field of expertise and will be available for a 30-minute discussion with the students.
All lectures will be held in English.

 

Myriam Wijlens behält Honorarprofessur an der Universität Durham

Die Universität Durham hat Prof. Dr. Myriam Wijlens, Kirchenrechtlerin an der Universität Erfurt, erneut zu Honorarprofessorin ernannt. Diese Ehre wurde ihr seit 2012 bereits mehrfach zuteil. 

Mit der Professur ist insbesondere eine Forschungskooperation im Projekt "Receptive Ecumenism" verbunden. Prof. Wijlens und Prof. Dr. Paul Murray, der Leiter des Departments of Theology and Religion in Durham, wurden u.a. wegen dieses Projektes 2018 vom Päpstlichen Rat zur Förderung der Einheit der Christen im Vatikan und von der Anglikanischen Kirche in Canterbury als Experten für den internationalen Dialog zwischen den Anglikanern und Katholiken ernannt (ARCIC III). Zu diesem Projekt gehört auch die Erforschung der Strukturen der Entscheidungsfindung in den beiden Kirchen. Damit in engem Zusammenhang steht überdies die Forschung von Myriam Wijlens zum Thema „Transparency – Accountability – Responsability: Reform of Church Structures and Practices"

Offizielle Mitteilung der Katholisch-Theologischen Fakultät der Universität Erfurt

Tillard Chair: Lecture of Professor Myriam Wijlens - "The Church of God is convened in Synod"

Den Vortrag von Prof. Dr. Myriam Wijlens zum Thema

"The Church of God is Convoked in Synod": Theological and Canonical Challenges
Concerning the 2021-2023 Synod

vom 19.11.2021 am Tillard Chair des Angelicum in Rom, können Sie  hier gerne nachhören.

What does canon law say about the new World Synod?

On Sunday 9 October 2021, Pope Francis started off the synodal process of the universal church. He will be advised by, among others, the Erfurt canon lawyer Myriam Wijlens, who makes clear: Different rules must apply in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern than in Bombay.

You can read the whole article about the interview, as well as the interview itself by Prof Wijlens with Renardo Schlegelmilch from DOMRADIO.DE here.

Foto: Vatican News

Consultor of the Synod of Bishops - "It's going to be an exciting story."

The universal Church will have much to learn from the global south at the Synod of Bishops about Synodality in the fall of 2023. "It's going to be an exciting story," said Prof. Myriam Wijlens, whom Pope Francis recently appointed as a consultor of the Synod of Bishops. She considers Synodality - the common journeying of the People of God - to be an extremely urgent topic.

You can read the whole article about the interview of Prof. Wijlens with Grudrun Sailer from Vatican News here.

Foto: Vatican News

Neues Vademecum über die Verfahren in Fällen sexuellen Missbrauchs von Minderjährigen

Prof. Myriam Wijlens, Mitglied der Päpstlichen Kinderschutzkommission, begrüßt ein neues Vademecum über die Verfahren in Fällen sexuellen Missbrauchs von Minderjährigen und bezeichnet es als einen großen Schritt vorwärts bei der Suche nach Gerechtigkeit und Wahrheit. Lesen Sie mehr.

Information for students

Examination matters

Here you will find important information about exams in canon law.

Materials:

The following materials are generally permitted in the canon law examinations and are provided by the examination chairpersons/supervisors:

- Codex Iuris Canonici (CIC), with a supplement on the amendments in the case of older editions.

- Codex Canonum Ecclesiarum Orientalium (CCEO).

Tools and recommendations

Here, in the future, there will be recommendations on various working materials and basic literature.

Perspectives after graduation

Today, our graduates are active in many areas in Church and society, for example, in the German Bishops' Conference, in (inter)diocesan offices or in the leadership of a diocese.
Do you have questions about how to continue in the field of canon law after graduation?
We will be happy to advise you!

Links

Contact

Holder of the Professorship for Canon Law
(Faculty of Catholic Theology)
Mitarbeitergebäude 3 (Villa Martin) / room 10
Office hours
by arrangement via E-Mail
Profile page
Claudia Pätzold
Sekretariat der Professur für Kirchenrecht
(Faculty of Catholic Theology)
C14 - Mitarbeitergebäude 3 (Villa Martin, Raum E8)
Office hours
Tuesday to Thursday 10am-12.30pm and 2pm-3pm.
Closed Monday and Friday.
Seitenansicht Villa Martin
Villa Martin

Postal address

University of Erfurt
Faculty of Catholic Theology
Dean's office
Domstraße 10
99084 Erfurt

Visiting address

University of Erfurt
Faculty of Catholic Theology
Service Building Villa Martin
Nordhäuser Straße 63
99089 Erfurt