I am Brother Clarion, Superior General of a lay Religious Congregation (only Brothers) of Pontifical rite. One of our brothers was sent for higher studies abroad. For six months he maintained regular communications with his Major Superior. After that he stopped all communication with the Superiors. We have taken recourse to various means to approach him but our efforts have been futile. It is more than a year now that, we have had any communication with him, and we do not know about his whereabouts. Can you suggest the canonical step we would need to take in this matter?
Community life is just as essential as the public vows for those who make public profession of evangelical counsels in the Religious Institutes. Every community is under the authority of a superior (can. 608 of CIC), who resides in the house (can. 629 of CIC). The authority which superiors receive from God through the ministry of the Church is to be exercised by them in a spirit of service (can. 618 of CIC). Religious men and women are to reside in their own house; if they are to be away for a short while, they are to obtain permission to stay elsewhere (can. 665, §1 of CIC).
Assuring the importance of community life for Religious, Pope Francis through a document titled “Communis Vita” (Community Life), amended the Code of Canon Law (can. 694 of CIC) to include the automatic dismissal of religious who are absent without authorization from their community for at least 12 months. Thus, the Pope has made it easier for religious Congregation’s to dismiss a member who leaves the community without permission, stays away and does not communicate with his or her superior. The amendment was made on 19 March, 2019 and it came into effect on 10 April, 2019.
The amended canon 694 of CIC reads: A religious must be held as dismissed ipso facto from an institute who:
Sr Navya Thattil OSF
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