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About the Course
- 3-year evening course
- mainly taught, partly by research
- final year exclusively dedicated to dissertation
- Lectures on Tuesday and Thursday, 5.30pm to 8.30pm
In view of the changing trends in Maltese Society and the pressures placed on Ecclesiastical Tribunals, the Faculty of Theology at the University of Malta felt the need to provide more specialized training for Tribunal personnel, as well as for persons who provide professional marriage-related service and ministry (priests, lawyers, psychologists, psychiatrists and social workers) to those in need of the Tribunal’s assistance.
Furthermore, following the great interest shown by postgraduate Theology, Law and Social Sciences students in the courses offered by the Maltese Ecclesiastical Tribunals in the last fifteen years, and the repeated requests made by the participants themselves to upgrade these courses to University level, the Faculty of Theology in cooperation with the Maltese Ecclesiastical Tribunals and with the approval of the local Ecclesiastical Authorities, decided to launch an MA in Matrimonial Canon Law and Jurisprudence.
Intended Learning Outcomes
This programme of studies aims to help students:
- to have a comprehensive understanding of the Christian vision of the human person,
- to appreciate
- the true nature of law and order in society
- Christian marriage as distinct from other legal and sociological models
- the benefits of an interdisciplinary and holistic approach to marriage
- to understand
- the Church’s teaching on marriage
- the pastoral nature and mission of Church Tribunals
- the various grounds of nullity and possibilities of dissolution of marriage
- the true nature and role of trials in society and Church
- the juridical procedural praxis of the Church
- the dynamics of the contentious and penal (criminal) process
- to interpret and apply the law to concrete situations
- to individuate the possible sources of nullity of marriage in concrete situations
- to be able to evaluate the marital situation of persons assailed by particular psychological and medical conditions
- to appreciate the nature and importance of jurisprudence in the forensic praxis.
Areas of Study
The programme will focus on :
- Christian Perspectives on the Human Person
- Maltese Society and Culture
- Law and Justice in Society and in the Church
- Theology of Marriage
- Matrimonial Law: Canonical, Maltese, European
- Matrimonial Consent: Juridical and Psychological Aspects
- Matrimonial Jurisprudence
- Judicial Procedures
- Special Processes
- Selected Procedural Issues
Programme of Study [PDF] for courses commencing October 2009 and later.
Bye-Laws
Target Audience
This course is mainly addressed to professionals working in marriage-related services and to family ministry. As such it is directed to priests, lawyers, psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers.
Exit Awards
Those who opt not to continue for an MA will be awarded a:
- Postgraduate Diploma after two years of study.
Cooperating Partners
This course is being offered with the support of the:
- Ecclesiastical Tribunals of Malta
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