Pope Francis with this new Motu Propio provides another motivation for a person to be immediately expelled from a religious order.
With “Communis Vita” Pope Francis has modified the canon 694 of the Code of Canon Law. This point originally contained two motivations why someone is immediately expelled from a religious institute: notoriously abandoning the Catholic faith and contracting a marriage, even if in a civil manner.
However, Pope Francis has now added a third motivation: the prolonged illegitimate absence from the religious house for 12 uninterrupted months. This is also to emphasize the importance of community life.
Furthermore, it gives more legal clarity to a religious order. For example, when nothing is heard from the absent person or, after a leave of absence, never returns to the congregation. In this way, a religious institute can also avoid unpleasant surprises, such as when a member behaves in a manner contrary to how a religious person should behave; or problems derived from economic implications that could harm the Institute.
Overall this new provision provides clarity both for the member who remains outside the institution and for the religious institute itself.
