The Notion of Ius in Sacramental Law in Gratian and the Decretists

Abstract

Villey and Tierney discussed about the birth of subjective right. This article wants to explore the notion of right which stands behind the argumentation of Gratian and the decretists in sacramental law. The need for a practical and nuanced response to the problem of simonical, heretical or schismatic clerics led these authors to develop distinctions, in the context of an objective conception of right.