Summarizing the important sections of the Code of Canon Law and its main provisions, the book portrays the Church in all the richness of its organizational aspects, delineating the role of clergy, religious and laity and their precise functions at every level. The various types of ecclesiastical courts and processes are treated in enough detail to be informative but not so technically as to overwhelm the average reader seeking general information. The final parts of the books survey the various types of relationships the Church has with the different national states. Its precise legal status in the international family of nations is discussed.