Expression, one of the recognised rights present in various «Bills of Rights», is a topic which has been hotly discussed by the mass media.

It has consumed reams of paper, hours of court cases and has succeeded in catching the attention of innumerable people Everywhere from all walks of life.

When such rights are taken up for consideration within the Church, the discussions seem to work up into a state of frenzy, as different instances have gone to show. Invariably, in such situations, the following question springs to our mind : «Is there freedom of enquiry and expression within the Church?».

The prejudiced often take a negative reply for granted. Admittedly, there may, at times, seem to be a certain veneer of truth in this uninformed reply.

Nevertheless, a deeper analysis into the ecclesiastical legislation and reality could bring to the fore the articulation of various facets of this freedom inasmuch as it forms part of the «Duties and Rights of the Christian Faithful».

Freedom of Enquiry and Expression in the Catholic Church proposes precisely to reflect on this process, in the Context of a canonico-theological quest into the different aspects of the freedom of enquiry and expression of the Christian Faithful, starting from can. 218 of the Code of Canon Law.