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Doctor of Canon Law (Catholic Church)

Doctor of Canon Law is the doctoral-level terminal degree in the studies of canon law of the Roman Catholic Church. It can also be an honorary degree awarded by Anglican colleges. It may also be abbreviated ICD or dr.iur.can., ICDr, DCL, DCnl, DDC, or DCanL. A doctor of both laws is a JUD or UJD.

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Doctor of Canon Law (Latin: Juris Canonici Doctor, JCD) is the doctoral-level terminal degree in the studies of canon law of the Roman Catholic Church. It can also be an honorary degree awarded by Anglican colleges. It may also be abbreviated ICD or dr.iur.can. (Iuris Canonici Doctor), ICDr, DCL, DCnl, DDC, or DCanL (Doctor of Canon Law). A doctor of both laws (i.e. canon and civil) is a JUD (Juris Utriusque Doctor) or UJD (Utriusque Juris Doctor).

History

The Roman Church has the oldest continuously used homogeneous legal system in the world.12

Footnotes

Footnotes

  1. Dr. Edward N. Peters, CanonLaw.info, accessed Jul-1-2013
  2. Wacks, Raymond (2015). Law: A Very Short Introduction (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 15.