In the Catholic Church, the vow of obedience is one of the three vows of professing to live according to the evangelical counsels. It constitutes one of the religious vows which are made both by members of the religious institutes and diocesan hermits.
The 1983 Code of Canon Law (canon 601) defines it as follows:
In relation to Christian discipleship, the Second Vatican Council's Dogmatic Constitution on the Church speaks of "liberty strengthened by obedience".[1]
Description
The vow of obedience is stipulated in
- the novice's respective Church law, for example in the Roman Catholic Church, the 1983 Code of Canon Law (see canons 573, 601, 603.2)
- the respective rule of the order or institute, the novice belongs to[2]
Attribution
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Religious Obedience". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
References
- 1.Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, paragraph 43, published on 21 November 1964, accessed on 28 January 2026
- 2.Rule of St Benedict, Chapter 58.17, accessed on 28 January 2026