An ecclesiastical crime is a crime (delictum) related to the clergy where the crime is against canon law. Compare civil law.
The crime of Simony is the ecclesiastical crime of paying for offices or positions in the hierarchy of a church. The crimes of Schism[1] and Heresy are also ecclesiastical crimes.
Older examples include "perjury", the breaking of a promissory oath (contractual promises made by oath or pledge of faith), and this was treated as an ecclesiastical crime. Some crimes have or have had both an ecclesiastical and a civil element to the crime; suicide and witches[2] are counted here.
The term is also specifically used today for misappropriation of donation monies. In the International Bulletin of Missionary Research,[3] January 2009, David B. Barrett, Todd M. Johnson, Peter F Crossing, study titled, Christian World Communions: Five Overviews of Global Christianity, AD 1800–2025 they show that "Ecclesiastical crime" is growing at 5.77% per annum and in mid-2009 is estimated to be USD$27 billion on a total "Giving to Christian causes" of USD$410 Billion. Unchecked this crime will be valued at USD$65 Billion by 2025[4]
See also
- Ecclesiastical courts
- Ecclesiastical ordinances
- Ecclesiastical prison
- Canon law
- Sacrament of Penance
References
- ^ [1] The deep wound of schism in the archdiocese, Archbishop Raymond L. Burke - schism in context of the St. Stanislaus Kostka Church (Saint Louis)
- ^ [2] Malleus Maleficarum - discusses who tries witches: balancing "Heresy" and "temporal injuries"
- ^ International Bulletin of Missionary Research, Issue 33:1, January 2009
- ^ [3] Archived 2011-07-19 at the Wayback Machine (PDF) Extract from International Bulletin of Missionary Research, Vol. 33, No. 1