canons.ca

Supreme Principle of Canon Law

The most fundamental principle governing all Catholic canon law is found in Canon 1752 of the current 1983 Code: "Canon law has as its supreme law and end the salvation of souls"2. This canon establishes the ultimate purpose that guides all other canonical legislation.

Text of Canon 12

Canon 12 from the Council of Trent's Sixth Session (1547) states: "If anyone says that justifying faith is nothing else than confidence in divine mercy, which remits sins for Christ's sake, or that this confidence alone is that whereby we are justified; let him be anathema."145

Historical Context and Purpose

Canon 12 was formulated during the Council of Trent's deliberations on justification in 1547, specifically designed to address Protestant Reformation challenges to Catholic doctrine5. The canon directly targeted Lutheran teachings, particularly Martin Luther's doctrine of justification by faith alone (sola fide)35. The Council's canons "were written to address every aspect" of the justification controversy that had emerged from Protestant theology5.

What Canon 12 Condemns

The canon condemns two specific Protestant propositions:

First Proposition: That justifying faith consists only in confidence in God's mercy that forgives sins through Christ's merits145.

Second Proposition: That this confidence alone is what justifies a person before God45.

By declaring "let him be anathema," the canon excommunicates from the Church anyone who holds these positions, meaning they are "doomed to an eternity in hell"5.

Catholic Doctrine Affirmed

Canon 12 affirms the Catholic teaching that justifying faith involves much more than mere confidence in divine mercy1. According to the Council's broader teaching, justification requires human cooperation with God's grace and involves multiple dispositions including "faith, fear of divine justice, hope that God will treat us mercifully through love for Jesus Christ, a beginning of the love of God, hatred and detestation for sin, and the resolution to receive baptism"6.

The canon specifically rejects the Protestant teaching that "faith alone justifies the sinner" without any other cooperation or preparation from the person6. Instead, the Catholic position maintains that while faith is "the beginning of human salvation, the foundation and root of all justification," it must be accompanied by other elements and human cooperation with grace1.

Theological Significance

Canon 12 represents a fundamental rejection of the Protestant doctrine of sola fide and establishes the Catholic principle that justification involves both divine grace and human cooperation6. The canon was part of 33 total canons on justification that collectively defined Catholic teaching against Protestant innovations and "succeeded in its goal of reaffirming the Church's spiritual authority and condemning the Protestant challenge"5.

Citations:

1. https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/decree-concerning-justification--decree-concerning-reform-1496
2. https://www.papalencyclicals.net/councils/trent/sixth-session.htm
3. https://carm.org/roman-catholicism/council-of-trent-canons-on-justification/
4. https://www.theopedia.com/council-of-trent
5. https://www.worldhistory.org/article/2014/canons-of-the-council-of-trent/
6. http://www.traditionalmass.org/articles/article.php?id=31&catname=10
7. https://www.k-state.edu/english/baker/english233/Council_of_Trent6.htm
8. http://traditionalcatholic.net/Tradition/Council/Trent/Sixth_Session,_Canons.html
9. https://dannyslavich.wordpress.com/2007/09/24/justification-trent-versus-the-reformation/
10. https://www.challies.com/articles/anti-catholic-or-pro-gospel/