The Canonistae Assembly, convened jointly by the University of Santo Tomas and the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum), welcomed Dominican friars from across the continents, each engaged in the canonical ministry of the Order of Preachers, at the Bl. Buenaventura García Paredes, O.P., building from April 22 to 25, 2025. Their mission was to renew, study, and coordinate the evolving ecclesiastical juridical frameworks by which the Dominican charism serves the People of God.
In an age when law is sometimes reduced to instrumentality or drowned in ideological abstraction, this assembly recalled Cicero’s admonition that “We are servants of the laws so that we may be free” (Pro Cluentio, XXV.67). The atmosphere of the conference echoed this classical vision—a communion of minds disciplined by the demands of justice, hearts shaped by religious life, and intellects refined by the Thomistic synthesis.
The Canonistae 2025 Assembly opened with a liturgical celebration presided over by the Master of the Order Very Rev. Fr. Gerard Francisco P. Timoner III, O.P., whose welcome remarks established the conference’s rationale. He reminded participants that the essence of canon law is not legalism but charity: a humble ordering of ecclesial life for the salvation of souls. Present also were high-ranking friars including Socius for Asia-Pacific Rev. Fr. Jamshed Gill, O.P., Vicar of the Master Rev. Fr. Pablo Sicouly, O.P., and Prior Provincial of the Philippine Province Rev. Fr. Filemon de la Cruz, O.P. These leaders underscored that the Dominican apostolate in law is one of unity: between cloister and curia, tradition and aggiornamento (keeping up to date), local fidelity and universal service.
Sessions began with a fraternal overview of the two Faculties of Canon Law at UST and the Angelicum. The Prior of the Convent of Friars of Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) and Dean of the Faculty of Canon Law Rev. Fr. Loïc-Marie Le Bot, O.P., of the Province of Toulouse, offered a theological grounding in the intersection of law, justice, and grace, presenting a Thomistic defense of canonical rationality. Meanwhile, Rev. Fr. Julius Factora, O.P., on behalf of Vice Rector Rev. Fr. Isaias Tiongco, O.P., detailed the composition and pastoral ethos of UST’s faculty, rooted in its centuries-old dedication to the study of ecclesiastical law in the Philippine Church.
Procurator General of the Order Rev. Fr. Benjamin Earl, O.P., took center stage with a trilogy of interventions that anchored the canonical discussions. His first address, “On Presenting Cases to the Curia,” emphasized clarity and simplicity in legal communication, outlining eighteen principles—humorously called “commandments”— to guide friars in forwarding cases. His second session explored canons 684–687 on separation from the Order. With pastoral realism and juridical sobriety, he highlighted the importance of establishing causa, safeguarding the right of defense, and attending to the spiritual gravity of departure from consecrated life.