The prevailing method of imposing international law is still basically “self help”; that’s the response by states to alleged breaches of worldwide obligations by other states. However, a few our bodies, such as the WTO, have efficient systems of binding arbitration and dispute resolution backed up by commerce sanctions. The Catholic Church has the oldest continuously functioning authorized system within the western world, predating the evolution of recent European civil law and common law techniques. The Eastern Catholic Churches, which developed completely different disciplines and practices, are governed by the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches.

Our more than …