Canon lawyer Adam Storey joins the Catholic Morning Show for his monthly segment on church law, this time explaining what it means for something — not just someone — to be a "juridic person." He breaks down the difference between public and private juridic persons, showing how parishes, dioceses, and seminaries organize and act in the Church's name. Adam also clarifies where a ministry like Iowa Catholic Radio fits within that canonical framework.
Adam Storey returns to the Catholic Morning Show for his monthly deep dive into canon law, tackling a term that trips up even lifelong Catholics: "juridic person." Adam explains that in church law, communities — not just individuals — can be recognized as "persons" capable of communal rights, duties, and action, a concept that traces back to what the Church, before the 1983 Code of Canon Law, called "moral persons."
He walks through how parishes, dioceses, and seminaries are all juridic persons, and unpacks the key distinction between public and private juridic persons: public juridic persons act explicitly in the name of the Church, much like clerics and catechists are formally commissioned to minister in her name, even though every baptized Christian already participates in the Church's apostolic mission by virtue of baptism.
As a fun test case, Bo asks where Iowa Catholic Radio fits in — Adam confirms the station has not been erected as a juridic person, but still fully participates in the apostolic ministry of the Church.
Heard on the Catholic Morning Show, weekdays at 7 a.m. Central on Iowa Catholic Radio. More at IowaCatholicRadio.com.
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