In canon law

Canon law

Canon law is the body of laws & regulations made or adopted by ecclesiastical authority, for the government of the Christian organization and its members. It is the internal ecclesiastical law governing the Catholic Church , the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches, and the Anglican Communion of...

, ius remonstrandi (Latin: "right of objection") refers to the right in law to protest a Papal bull

Papal bull

A Papal bull is a particular type of letters patent or charter issued by a Pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the bulla that was appended to the end in order to authenticate it....

, edict

Edict

An edict is an announcement of a law, often associated with monarchism. The Pope and various micronational leaders are currently the only persons who still issue edicts.-Notable edicts:...

 or law

Law

Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...

.

The right is usually reserved for a Catholic bishop or other high-ranking church official.

In 1994, Belgian politician and canon law scholar Rik Torfs

Rik Torfs

Henri Maria Dymphna André Laurent "Rik" Torfs is a Belgian academic, media personality, and Christian Democratic and Flemish party politician.- Life and career :...

 appealed to bishops to use their ius remonstrandi to protest the papal letter ordinatio sacerdotalis

Ordinatio Sacerdotalis

Ordinatio Sacerdotalis is an Apostolic Letter issued from the Vatican by Pope John Paul II on 22 May 1994, whereby the Pope expounds the teaching of the Catholic Church's position requiring "the reservation of priestly ordination to men alone." In its clear proclamation that "the Church has no...

, which sought to close the debate on allowing women into priesthood.