The Institute of Eastern Canon Law at Paurastya Vidyapitham, Kottayam, aggregated to the Faculty of Oriental Canon Law at Pontifical Oriental Institute, Rome offers Licentiate Programme in Eastern Canon Law. The specialized study of the Eastern Canon Law also envisages a comparative study of both Eastern and Latin Canon laws.Considering the importance of specialized studies in Eastern Canon Law in the local ecclesial context and the increasing need to have trained personnel in Eparchial Tribunals and Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life and taking into account the request of Synod of Bishops of the Syro-Malabar Church, the Institute of Eastern Canon Law was erected by the Congregation for Catholic Education on 12 December 2016.
This Institute is meant for the study of and research in Eastern Canon Law and has the following aims.
- To promote specialization in Eastern Canon Law (VG art.77).
- To train personnel for the eparchial curiae and ecclesiastical tribunals.
- To promote collaboration among the various ecclesiastical tribunals in India.
- To train teachers in Eastern Canon Law and to prepare personnel of institutes of consecrated life and societies of apostolic life to help them in the formulation and revision of their typica and statutes, in their work of formation and administration.
- To help the students to understand the meaning and implications of Canon Law in the context of the Civil Law of the country and to promote dialogue between the two legal systems.
- To promote canonical studies in the particular laws of the Eastern Churches in India.
- To promote research in the common canonical sources of the Eastern Churches in India as a means of promoting ecumenism.
- To promote dialogue with experts in Civil Law and to initiate them into the study of Canon Law.
- To provide for the ongoing formation of the former students of the PVP as well as others in canonical issues.