The situation of religious orders in the light of the 1917 Code of Canon Law

The Code of Canon Law of 1917 was dedicated to the matters related to religious orders in Book II, part II, canons: 487–681. An important issue is providing the definition of the religious state by the ecclesiastical legislator. The Code defines it as a stable manner of living in common approved by the Church, by which the faithful, want not only to keep the commandments common to all, but they also want, through a public vow, to strive for perfection by following the evangelical counsels of obedience, chastity and poverty and by living in common and observing the statutes under a legitimate superior. This paper addresses the key issues of the life of religious, regulated by the law contained in the 1917 Code. Therefore, there will be a discussion of religious’ superiors, candidates for a religious order, obligations of religious, and finally, of issues related to leaving and dismissal from a religious order.