In Gonzalez v. Roman Catholic Archbishop of Manila, the Supreme Court refused to interpret internal church laws, and held that determinations by internal church tribunals cannot be challenged in US courts. This case involved a challenge to a church tribunal’s refusal to appoint Raul Gonzalez to a certain position within the church. Gonzalez’s guardian brought the suit on his behalf, alleging that he was entitled to the position through inheritance; the church countered that Gonzalez, as a child, was not qualified for the position. Because the appointment was a religious act, the Court held that it was the function of the church authorities to determine what the essential qualifications of the position were and whether Gonzalez possessed them. In the absence of fraud, collusion, or arbitrariness, the Court concluded that the decisions of proper church tribunals on purely ecclesiastical matters must be final, and not subject to challenge in the court system.
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