Archbishop Myers Named to Pontifical Council

Today the Vatican Press Office announced that His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, has named The Most Reverend John J. Myers, Archbishop of Newark, a Member of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts. The appointment was effective April 1, and is in addition to his role as leader of the Newark Archdiocese.
 
The Archbishop has served as a Consultor to the Council since 1996.
 
Others named to the Council today include Cardinals Giovanni Batista Re, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops; Ivan Dias, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples; Luis Martinez Sistach, archbishop of Barcelona, Spain; Oswald Gracias, archbishop of Bombay, India; William Joseph Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Leonardo Sandri, prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches; and The Most Reverend Raymond Burke, archbishop of St. Louis.
 
Archbishop Myers holds a doctorate in Canon Law from Catholic University of America, and brings extensive experience in canonical affairs to this new role on the Council. He currently serves as chair of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Canonical Affairs, and has been a member of this committee regularly since the late 1980's.  Throughout his priesthood and episcopacy, The Archbishop has  participated in numerous canon law research and education projects, workshops and symposia through the Canon Law Society of America. During the 1993 International Canon Law Symposium in Vatican City, The Archbishop presented a paper on "The Law in the Life and Mission of the Church."
 
The Archbishop also has written numerous articles and papers on canon law subjects, including "The Temporal Goods of the Church," in the Code of Canon Law: A Text and Commentary;  "Ecclesial Ministries within the Diocese: Development and Integration," for the 47th Annual Convention of the Canon Law Society of America; "Church Finances: Responsibility and Consultative Structures in the Revised Code," for New Catholic World;  "The Diocesan Fiscal Officer and the Diocesan Finance Council" for the 44th Annual Convention of the Canon Law Society of America; and a series of articles on the 1983 Code of Canon law that appeared in the Peoria diocesan newspaper, The Catholic Post, and other diocesan newspapers.
 
The Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts is part of the Roman Curia, and is responsible for helping the Holy Father, the supreme legislator of the Church, interpret the laws of the Church. It further assists the Holy Father in the correct application of current law and the interpretation of norms for particular countries and jurisdictions.
 
Pope John Paul II established the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts in 1984 following completion of the revision of the 1917 version of the Code of Canon Law. Unlike the legal code of nations or states, however, Canon Law is not merely a collection of norms created by the will of ecclesiastical legislators.  It indicates the duties and rights inherent to the faithful and to the structure of the Church as instituted by Christ.