Pope Leo XIV: True justice is never separated ‘from truth and mercy’

Pope Leo XIV on Friday said that although it is “impossible” to translate the image of the Church perfectly into canonical language, canon law is called to “reflect it.”

He made the remark during an audience with participants in an international congress organized on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Faculty of Canon Law of the Pontifical Gregorian University, one of the most influential academic institutions in the formation of canon lawyers throughout the world.

In his Oct. 23 address, the pontiff recalled that the study of the Church’s law can only be fully understood in light of the ecclesial mystery described by the Second Vatican Council, especially in the dogmatic constitution Lumen Gentium .

Citing St. John Paul II and the apostolic constitution Sacrae Disciplinae Leges , through which he promulgated the 1983 Code of Canon Law, Leo XIV stressed that while “it is impossible to translate the image of the Church perfectly into canonical language,” the Church’s legal system nevertheless has the duty to reflect it.

The pope’s words carry particular significance in light of his academic background. Leo XIV holds a doctorate in canon law and has extensive…