Canon (title)

Canon (Greek: κανονικός, romanized: kanonikós) is a Christian title usually used to refer to a member of certain bodies in subject to an ecclesiastical rule.

In the 11th century, some churches required clergy thus living together to adopt the rule first proposed by Saint Augustine that they renounce private wealth.

One of the functions of the cathedral chapter in the Latin Church was to elect a vicar capitular (now named a diocesan administrator) to serve during a sede vacante period of the diocese.

In some Church of England dioceses, the title Prebendary is used instead of Canon when the cleric is involved administratively with a cathedral.

Also, priests (and honorary chaplains) of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre are, in fact, titular or honorary canons of these respective Orders and have the right to the honorific title of "Canon" and "Monsignor" [citation needed] in addition to the choir dress of a canon, which includes the mozetta (black with purple piping for Malta and white with a red Jerusalem cross for Holy Sepulchre.

[5][6] On the demise of the Kingdom of France this honour became transferred to the Presidents of the Republic, and hence is currently held by Emmanuel Macron.

The proto-canon of the papal basilica of Saint Mary Major is the King of Spain, currently Felipe VI.

[citation needed] It has traditionally been said that the King of England (now the British Sovereign) is a canon or prebendary of St David's Cathedral, Wales.

Following the death of Peter Hinchliff in 1995 the Regius professorship was held by Henry Mayr-Harting, a Catholic layman, from 1997 until 2003, and was taken up by another lay person, Sarah Foot, in Michaelmas Term 2007.

[citation needed] Minor canons are those clergy who are members of the foundation of a cathedral or collegiate establishment.

Their goal is to combine the clerical and monastic forms of life, thus they are equally committed to pastoral ministry and to the communal celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours.

Pope Benedict XII by his constitution Ad decorem (15 May 1339) prescribed a general reform of the canons regular.

The canons regular ex professo united Holy Orders with religious life, and being attached to a church, devoted themselves to promoting the dignity of divine worship.