Sisters of Charity Future Sponsorship

PUBLIC JURIDIC PERSON (PJP)

1 What is a Public Juridic Person (PJP)?

Canon law describes three types of persons in the church: physical persons, moral persons, and juridic persons.

A juridic person is an aggregate of persons (group) or things (property) dedicated to the purpose of enabling the church to achieve its mission.

Definition
A public juridic person is an aggregate of persons or things which has the following characteristics:

• It is constituted by the competent church authority
• The work it performs is done in the name of the church (it acts on behalf of the church, not merely in its own name)
• It fulfils a specific task entrusted to it in view of the common good
• It performs its tasks in accord with the limits set for it, namely, church law and its statutes
• Its property is church property.

Some juridic persons are established by virtue of the law itself, e.g. Religious Institutes. Others are established by decree and may be approved by the Holy See, Bishops’ Conference, Diocesan Bishop or Ecclesiastical Province of Bishops.

While the establishment of a PJP creates a canonical relationship with the Church, the civil law status of any juridic person must be established separately from its canonical status.

2 What is the purpose of a PJP in governance for the Sisters of Charity of Australia?

Advantage in acting now
The advantage for Sisters of Charity in seeking to progress a new PJP for governance of its Ministries lies in the ability to embed our ethos and charism into the structure and philosophy of the new Sponsorship body.

By taking action in the present, we can positively influence the way the PJP develops. This includes the ability to choose the founding members and shape their learning through encouraging active participation of Trustees and Directors in Leadership Formation programs which are firmly founded on our Values and our Vision.

3 Who would sit on a PJP?

The PJP may comprise religious and/or lay people. It acts through the physical persons who represent it and who are described in its statutes.

For example, the St John of God Australia Sponsorship structure includes 9 Trustees from diverse backgrounds, some religious and some not. The Australian Province of the Sisters of St John of God appoints 5 out of 9 of these Trustees.

4 To whom would a PJP ultimately be accountable?

The PJP is accountable to the Church for fulfilling its canonical duties, and its members are also accountable for fulfilling duties as defined by civil law.

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