Apostolic Penitentiary

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Basic data
Surname: Apostolic Penitentiary
(lat. Pænitentiaria Apostolica )
court of penance
responsible for absolutions, dispensations, grace
Seat: Palazzo della Cancelleria
Piazza della Cancelleria, 1
00186 Roma
Major Penalty: Mauro Cardinal Piacenza
(since 2013)
Rain: Krzysztof Józef Nykiel
(since June 26, 2012)

The Apostolic Penitentiary ( Latin: Paenitentiaria Apostolica ) is one of the three highest courts of justice of the Catholic Church, along with the Rota Romana and the Apostolic Signature . The Apostolic Penitentiary, however, is not a church court , but a curial sanctuary for the sacramental and non-sacramental area of ​​conscience, and thus practically a papal administrative authority.

The duties of the Apostolic Penitentiary include the granting of graces, indulgences (insofar as it does not fall within the competence of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith ), absolutions , dispensations , reductions in penalties, conversion of obligations and the like. Like all curial authorities, the Apostolic Penitentiary is subordinate to the Pope . At the top is the cardinal large penitentiary . He is supported by a Regens and five other prelates with an advisory role. The current major penitentiary is Cardinal Mauro Piacenza .

history

Since the end of the 12th century, a Cardinalis qui confessiones pro papa recipit has been mentioned for the absolution of penalties and the granting of dispensations reserved to the Apostolic See, which has been mentioned since Honorius III. poenitentiarius was called, since the pontificate of Clement V then poenitentiarius generalis or maior .

Correctores , scriptores , distributores and the sigillator appeared as early as the 13th century . Benedict XII. added the office of doctor expertus in iure canonico . The office of regent has existed since Eugene IV , that of datar since Alexander VI. After Pius V had taken over the duties of the Cardinal Major Penitentiary, he lifted the Apostolic Penitentiary on April 23, 1569, in order to re-establish it on May 18, 1569 in a new and smaller form. Here he created the offices of theologian (which was reserved for the Society of Jesus ) and the canonist. The apostolic penitentiary under Benedict XIV experienced a further reorganization of the organization and the procedure , this constitution existed with a few changes until the reform by Pius X , who restricted the scope of duties to the forum internum. Benedict XV separated on March 25, 1935 the area of ​​indulgence from the Holy Office and transferred these tasks to the Apostolic Penitentiary. With the Apostolic Constitution of Pius XI. Quae divinitus of March 25, 1935, another restructuring of this curial authority took place.

present

In a work by Carlos Encina Commentz you can learn more about the work of the Apostolic Penitentiary, which is little known even in the Church. The main reason for this lies in the very nature of their activity, which consists of cases of the forum internum and is therefore related to the sacrament of penance . The competences of the Apostolic Penitentiary concern exclusively the forum internum , that is the inner relationship between God and the believer. It grants absolution, dispensations, graces, healings (sanationes) and conversions.

Responsibilities sorted by areas:

1. absolution ( absolution ) of canonical crimes that are reserved to the Court of the Apostolic Penitentiary:

These offenses are punished with excommunication latae sententiae , i. H. The excommunication occurs solely because the offense in question has been committed.

2. Dispensation from obstacles to ordination, the so-called irregularities (cf. can. 1047 CIC ): Irregularities are canonical prohibitions of a permanent nature, which exclude the reception of holy orders or make the exercise of orders that have been received illegal. If necessary, irregularities that are not publicly known are dispensed with.

Some of the obstacles to ordination reserved for the Apostolic Penitentiary:
  • Deliberate killing of a person or positive participation in it.
  • Completed abortion or the positive contribution to it.

3. Healing in the root ( sanatio in radice ) of invalid marriages. Healings of this kind are within the competence of the local bishops . For a just reason, the Apostolic Penitentiary can also be invoked (cf. can. 1165 CIC ).

4. Conversion of Mass obligations ( Mass stipends ): The Apostolic Penitentiary can reduce Mass obligations of individual priests (but not those of institutions). So if a priest is unable to celebrate the number of Masses for which he has accepted intentions, he can ask the Apostolic Penitentiary to reduce the number of Mass obligations through his confessor (cf. can. 1308 CIC ).

5. Granting of indulgences (cf. can. 995 CIC ): The Apostolic Penitentiary is responsible for the granting of indulgences on the part of the Roman Curia .

See also

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ AAS 27 (1935) 97
  2. ↑ Carlos Encina Commentz: When and how appeals to the Apostolic Penitentiary . Libr. Ed. Vaticana, Città del Vaticano 2012, ISBN 978-88-209-8963-7 .
  3. ↑ Manuale delle indulgenze (4th edition 1999, reprint 2008).