Communion and Law

[suesch]

“The principles of liberty and equality, translated into legal terms, have reinforced individual rights, but if fraternity is lacking these are not enough to safeguard relationships and the living together of communities. This Conference proposes to investigate how fraternity can inspire new behavioural methods and legal relationships.”

This quote, found in the presentation manifesto of the Congress held at Castelgandolfo, Italy between the 18th and 20th of November 2005, expresses the motivation and aims of Communion and Law.

The ever increasing conflict that marks human cohabitation at all levels solicits the search for new ways of establishing relationships between people so as to promote communion. The initiative of Communion and Law is twofold. On one level there is a practical commitment by legal operators in the various environments of all judicial, legal and forensic activity, so as to establish relationships inspired by fraternity in these areas. The other level is the commitment to reach the same goal through study and research in the doctrinal field, in a spirit of dialogue within the current legal environment.

Structure and activities

Communion and Law is made up of groups of law students and legal operators who are inspired by its aims and are present in many parts of the world. These seek to work for the enactment of justice and for a profound renewal of the judicial, legal and forensic fields, establishing new ways of judicial relationships and behaviour inspired by fraternity. By seeking to live fraternally when entering into judicial relationships and behaviour, they find a way that is capable of healing numerous fractures that arise in relationships and, at the same time, ensures communion by safeguarding the identity of all subjects involved.

Groups of Communion and Law meet periodically so as to exchange ideas, experiences and new understanding in an atmosphere of reciprocal respect and sharing.

Initiatives

An international Conference was born from the experience and ideas that matured in the groups of Communion and Law. The Conference took place at Castelgandolfo between the 18th and 20th November 2005, with the title: “Relationships in Law: is there a place for fraternity?”

The Conference, which was attended by over 700 scholars and legal operators coming from 35 different countries from the various continents, discussed various fields of law and brought forth numerous intuitions towards the rediscovery of relationships and fraternity as dimensions that are inherent to law.

At the end of the Conference a network of relationships was established, that continues to be active on a global level through the exchange of experiences, reflections and elaborations.

http://www.comunionediritto.org/