canon law

Christian religious law, ecclesiastical law of the Christian religion

Canon law is the term used for the internal ecclesiastical law which governs various churches, most notably the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Churches and the Anglican Communion of churches. The way that such church law is legislated, interpreted and at times adjudicated varies widely among these three bodies of churches. In all three traditions, a canon was initially a rule adopted by a council (From Greek kanon / κανών, for rule, standard, or measure); these canons formed the foundation of canon law.
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Noun
1. the body of codified laws governing the affairs of a Christian church
(synonym) ecclesiastical law
(hypernym) law, jurisprudence

The law of the Christian Church. Has little or no legal effect today. - (read more on Canon law)