ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Canon law (Catholic Church)

Okay, so imagine you are playing a game with your friends. When you all play this game, you agree to follow some rules to make sure everyone has fun and it's fair. You might have rules like "no hitting" or "take turns" or "share your toys."

Well, the Catholic Church also has some rules that it follows, kind of like rules for how to play the game of being Catholic and living a good life. These rules are called canon law.

Canon law is a bunch of rules made by the Catholic Church to try to help people live a good life and follow the teachings of Jesus. These rules cover things like what people should do at church, how to get married in the church, what happens if someone breaks one of the rules, and how the church should be run.

One of the most important things about canon law is that it's based on the beliefs and teachings of the church. The rules help Catholics understand what the church thinks is important in their lives and how they can live in a way that honors God.

So just like when you play your game with your friends and follow the rules to make sure everyone has a good time, Catholics try to follow the rules of canon law to make sure they are living a good life and practicing their faith in the best way possible.