Sui iuris
Sui iuris (/ˈsuːaɪ ˈdʒʊərɪs/ or /ˈsuːi ˈjurɪs/), also spelled sui juris, is a Latin phrase that literally means "of one's own right".[1] It is used in both the Catholic Church's canon law[2] and secular law.[3] The term church sui iuris is used in the Catholic Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches (CCEO) to denote the autonomous churches in Catholic communion. The Catholic Church consists of 24 churches, including the Latin Church and 23 Eastern Catholic churches.
"Church sui iuris" redirects here. For other uses, see Catholic particular churches and liturgical rites.Etymology and spelling[edit]
The Latin sui iuris (the individual words meaning 'self' and 'law') corresponds to the Greek 'αὐτόνομος', from which the English word autonomy is derived.[4]
The spelling in Classical Latin is sui iuris, and in Medieval Latin sui juris. English Law gets the term from Medieval Latin, and so spells it sui juris.
Secular law[edit]
In civil law, the phrase sui juris indicates legal competence, and refers to an adult who has the capacity to manage his or her own affairs. It is opposed to alieni juris, meaning one such as a minor or mentally disabled person who is legally incompetent and under the control of another. It also indicates a person capable of suing and/or being sued in a legal proceeding in his own name ([[suo nomine[11]]]) without the need of an ad litem, that is, a court appointed representative, acting on behalf of a defendant, who is deemed to be incapable of representing himself.