Dispensation (Catholic canon law)
suspension, by competent authority, of general rules of law in particular cases in the Catholic Church
In the jurisprudence of the canon law of the Catholic Church, a dispensation is the exemption from the immediate obligation of the law in certain cases. Its object is to modify the hardship often caused by rigorous application of general laws to particular cases, and its essence is to preserve the law by suspending its operation in such cases.
Concept
Since laws aimed at the good of the entire community may not be suitable for certain cases or persons, the legislator has the right, sometimes even the duty, to dispense from the law.
Dispensation is not a permanent power or a special right, as in privilege. If the reason for the dispensation no longer exists, then the dispensation also ceases to exist. If the immediate basis for the right is withdrawn, then the right ceases.
Validity, legality, "just and reasonable cause"
There must be a "just and reasonable cause" for granting a dispensation. What is "just and reasonable" is based upon the particular situation and the importance of the law to be dispensed from. If the cause is not "just and reasonable", then the dispensation is illegal and, if issued by someone other than the lawgiver of the law in question, or his superior, the dispensation is also invalid. If it is uncertain whether a sufficiently "just and reasonable cause" exists, the dispensation is both legal and valid.
“Dispensation (Catholic canon law)” enters the record as suspension, by competent authority, of general rules of law in particular cases in the Catholic Church. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Dispensation, Catholic and canon can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 1, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q564137. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
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