Introduction

— Doubt can be raised both concerning the usefulness and concerning the place of this argument on Persons.

Concerning the usefulness. For not without elegance Fr. Lehmkuhl, in his celebrated moral theology, omitted the special treatment On Persons, and joined the treatise On Religious to the treatise on Religion, but the treatise on Clerics to the treatise on the sacrament of Order. For through the various religious Institutes the Church in a peculiar way worships God collectively; but by the sacrament of Order the gradation of clerics is constituted; indeed, through first tonsure, which imitates Order, clerics are made.

Concerning the place. For since through the exercise of virtues and the fruitful use of the sacraments all persons are called to sanctity, but clerics both command acts of virtues and administer sacraments, the special treatment on persons could logically precede or follow the other treatises. In the former order, a step would be made from persons to their offices and sacraments; in the latter arrangement, from offices and sacraments to their subjects or ministers.

Indeed, not rarely the treatment on persons lies as though in the middle between precepts and sacraments. For in it the discourse is chiefly about clerics; but clerics confect and administer sacraments, so that by the treatise on clerics the treatise on the sacraments is, as it were, prepared.

The Code of Canon Law removed the doubt, especially since we are entering into matter chiefly canonical. For in the Code there exists a special book On Persons. This is followed by the book on things, in which first the sacraments are treated, then sacred times, then the censorship and prohibition of books. But Book V is assigned to ecclesiastical censures and penalties.

Therefore there must be in our moral work a special part on Persons, and this part must be placed before the sacraments, the precepts of the Church, and Censures.

And because, except for the fundamental treatise on Laws, it seemed good to enclose canonical matters in a single volume, lest strictly moral parts, such as the virtues, should follow the canonical aspects of persons and sever them from the other canonical matters, we had to treat of persons after the completed exposition on the offices of the virtues, or immediately before the sacraments.

Thus, however, we were led by our own proper formal respect to choose for the book on persons the same place which it occupies in many commentaries.

— Division of the book. Furthermore, three states of persons are distinguished in the Church. For, as we are taught by canon 107 itself: "By divine institution there are in the Church clerics distinct from laymen, although not all clerics are of divine institution; but both can be religious."

Therefore in three treatises we shall speak of clerics, of religious, and of laymen.