Sui iuris Facts for Kids

Sui iuris (pronounced "soo-eye YOO-ris") is a Latin phrase that means "of one's own right." It's used in both church rules (called canon law) and regular laws.

In the Catholic Church, "church sui iuris" means a church that is self-governing or has its own rules, but is still part of the larger Catholic Church. There are 24 such churches in the Catholic Church. This includes the Latin Church (the largest one) and 23 Eastern Catholic churches.

What Does Sui Iuris Mean?
Sui Iuris in Catholic Church Law
- Types of Sui Iuris Churches
Sui Iuris in Regular Law
See also

What Does Sui Iuris Mean?

The Latin words sui iuris come from 'self' and 'law'. It's like the Greek word 'αὐτόνομος', which is where we get the English word autonomy. Autonomy means being able to govern yourself.

The spelling sui iuris is from Classical Latin. In older English law, it's sometimes spelled sui juris.

Sui Iuris in Catholic Church Law

Church documents, like the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, use the term sui iuris for the different parts of the Catholic Church. These parts include the Roman Catholic Church and other churches that are in full agreement with it.

A church sui iuris is a group of Christians who are connected by a leadership structure. The main authority of the Church officially recognizes them as sui iuris. This term shows that the Eastern Catholic Churches have a special kind of independence. They can keep their own traditions and ways, but they are still under the Pope's highest authority.

The Latin Church is the biggest sui iuris church. The Pope leads this church, and he also has authority over all other Catholic churches. The other sui iuris churches are called Eastern Catholic Churches. Many of these have their own leader, like a Patriarch, who guides all the bishops of that specific church.

The term sui iuris is also used for some special church missions. These missions don't have enough clergy to be a full diocese, but they are given their own independence. This means they are not part of any larger diocese. For example, in 2004, there were eleven such missions in places like the Cayman Islands and Afghanistan.

Types of Sui Iuris Churches

There are four main types of Eastern Catholic churches that are sui iuris.

Patriarchal Churches

A patriarchal church is a well-established Eastern Catholic church led by a Patriarch. The Patriarch, along with a group of bishops (called a synod), makes laws, judges cases, and manages the church within its area. This is done while still respecting the Pope's authority.

Here are some patriarchal churches:

Coptic Catholic Church (started 1741): Based in Cairo, Egypt.
Maronite Church (re-affirmed 1182): Based in Bkerke, Lebanon, with communities in many countries.
Syriac Catholic Church (started 1781): Based in Beirut, Lebanon, with communities worldwide.
Armenian Catholic Church (started 1742): Based in Beirut, Lebanon, with communities in many countries.
Chaldean Catholic Church (started 1552): Based in Baghdad, Iraq, with communities in several countries.
Melkite Greek Catholic Church (started 1726): Based in Damascus, Syria, with communities in many countries.

Major Archiepiscopal Churches

Major archiepiscopal churches are Eastern churches led by a major archbishop. They have almost the same rights and duties as patriarchal churches. A major archbishop is a top bishop who leads an entire Eastern Church sui iuris that doesn't have the title of Patriarch.

Here are some major archiepiscopal churches:

Syro-Malankara Catholic Church (started 1930): Based in Thiruvananthapuram, India.
Syro-Malabar Church (started 1923): Based in Ernakulam, India.
Romanian Church United with Rome, Greek-Catholic (started 1697): Based in Blaj, Romania.
Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (started 1595): Based in Kyiv, Ukraine, with communities in many countries.

Metropolitan Churches

A sui iuris church led by a Metropolitan (Bishop) is called a metropolitan church sui iuris. The Metropolitan is appointed by the Pope and works with a council of other bishops.

Here are some metropolitan churches:

Ethiopian Catholic Church (started 1846): Based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Ruthenian Catholic Church (started 1646): Found in the United States, Canada, Ukraine, and Czech Republic.
Slovak Greek Catholic Church (started 1646): Based in Prešov, Slovakia.
Eritrean Catholic Church (started 2015): Based in Asmara, Eritrea.
Hungarian Greek Catholic Church (started 2015): Based in Hajdúdorog, Hungary.

Other Sui Iuris Churches

Besides the types above, there are other sui iuris church communities. These are not patriarchal, major archiepiscopal, or metropolitan. They are led by a bishop chosen by the Pope.

Here are some of these churches:

Albanian Greek Catholic Church (started 1628): In Albania.
Belarusian Greek Catholic Church (started 1596): In Belarus.
Bulgarian Greek Catholic Church (started 1861): In Sofia, Bulgaria.
Byzantine Catholic Church of Croatia and Serbia (started 1611): In Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Serbia.
Greek Byzantine Catholic Church (started 1829): In Athens, Greece, and Turkey.
Italo-Albanian Catholic Church (never separated): In Italy.
Macedonian Greek Catholic Church (started 1918): In Skopje, Republic of Macedonia.
Russian Greek Catholic Church (started 1905): In Russia and China, with communities worldwide.

Sui Iuris in Regular Law

In regular (civil) law, sui juris means a person is legally able to manage their own affairs. This usually refers to an adult who is not a minor or someone with a mental disability. It means they can make their own decisions and can be part of a legal case on their own. The opposite is alieni juris, meaning someone who is under the control of another person legally.

Sui iuris facts for kids

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