The current Code of Canon Law was promulgated by Pope John Paul II in 1983 and is the document to which the internal legal system of the Catholic Church adheres. This document replaced the Church’s first code of Canon Law which was promulgated in 1917.
This document is the first place to which the church turns for questions of a canonical nature for answers on such topics as church governance, sacraments, and teaching.
As in any legal document, the technical language can be difficult to understand and interpret. Therefore many practicing canonists and scholars have contributed to commentaries that contain more detailed explanations of the law.
Canon 482 establishes the role of the chancellor “…whose principal office, unless particular law states otherwise, is to ensure that the acts of the curia are drawn up and dispatched, and that they are kept safe in the archive of the curia….”
The Code is posted in its entirety on the Vatican’s Website.