Apostolic Signatura
Encyclopedia
The Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura is the highest judicial authority in the Catholic Church (apart from the Pope himself, who as the supreme ecclesiastical judge, is the final point of appeal for any ecclesiastical judgment). In addition, it oversees the administration of justice in the Church.
The current Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura (since June 27, 2008) is Cardinal
Raymond Leo Burke
, previously Archbishop
of St. Louis, Missouri and Bishop
of La Crosse
, Wisconsin. The current Secretary (since April 12, 2008) is Bishop
Frans Daneels, O. Praem., age 68.
Apart from these judicial matters, the Signatura has competence as an administrative tribunal to deal with controversies over administrative decisions made by or approved by departments of the Roman Curia, if it is contended that the decision violated some law either in the decision-making process or in the procedure used; it can also deal with administrative controversies referred to it by the Pope or those departments, and with conflicts of competence between the departments.
A third field of competence for the Signatura is that of overseeing all the tribunals of the Catholic Church, with power to extend the jurisdiction of tribunals, to grant dispensations from procedural laws, to establish interdiocesan tribunals, and to discipline canonical advocates.
(1431-1447) entrusted these referendaries with authority to sign certain petitions and thereby established a permanent office for this purpose. Under Popes Alexander VI
, Sixtus IV
and Julius II
this office was divided into two, the Signatura gratiae for examining petitions for favours, and the Signatura iustitiae for contentious cases. The honourable office of referendary came to be conferred frequently as a merely honorary title, but Pope Sixtus V
put a limit on their number, and Pope Alexander VII
combined the limited number of voting referendaries into a college, assisted by the simple referendaries, who had only a consultative position. The Signatura gratiae gradually lost its functions to other bodies, and the growth of the work of the Roman Rota, the foundation of the Congregations of Cardinals resulted in the Signatura iustitiae becoming mainly a Supreme Court of the Papal States.
On 29 June 1909, Pope Pius X
reestablished a single Apostolic Signatura, consisting of six cardinals, one of whom acted as its prefect. On 28 June 1915, Pope Benedict XV
reconstituted the college of the voting referendaries and simple referendaries with consultative functions and the 1917 Code of Canon Law removed the limitation of the number of cardinals members of this Supreme Tribunal.
The present competence of the Apostolic Signatura is that laid down in the apostolic constitution Pastor Bonus of 28 June 1988.
The current Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura (since June 27, 2008) is Cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
Raymond Leo Burke
Raymond Leo Burke
Raymond Leo Burke is an American Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church. He is the current Cardinal Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, having previously served as Archbishop of St...
, previously Archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
of St. Louis, Missouri and Bishop
Bishop (Catholic Church)
In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....
of La Crosse
Roman Catholic Diocese of La Crosse
The Roman Catholic Diocese of La Crosse covers an area of west-central Wisconsin, including the city of La Crosse and 19 counties: Adams, Buffalo, Chippewa, Clark, Crawford, Dunn, Eau Claire, Jackson, Juneau, La Crosse, Marathon, Monroe, Pepin, Pierce, Portage, Richland, Trempealeau, Vernon, and...
, Wisconsin. The current Secretary (since April 12, 2008) is Bishop
Bishop (Catholic Church)
In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....
Frans Daneels, O. Praem., age 68.
Field of competence
The Roman Rota is the ordinary appellate tribunal of the Apostolic See. The Signatura's competence covers instead:- complaints of nullity and petitions for total reinstatement against sentences of the Roman Rota;
- recourses, in cases concerning the status of persons, when the Roman Rota has denied a new examination of the case;
- exceptions of suspicion and other proceedings against judges of the Roman Rota arising from the exercise of their functions;
- conflicts of competence between tribunals which are not subject to the same appellate tribunal.
Apart from these judicial matters, the Signatura has competence as an administrative tribunal to deal with controversies over administrative decisions made by or approved by departments of the Roman Curia, if it is contended that the decision violated some law either in the decision-making process or in the procedure used; it can also deal with administrative controversies referred to it by the Pope or those departments, and with conflicts of competence between the departments.
A third field of competence for the Signatura is that of overseeing all the tribunals of the Catholic Church, with power to extend the jurisdiction of tribunals, to grant dispensations from procedural laws, to establish interdiocesan tribunals, and to discipline canonical advocates.
History
In the thirteenth century the Popes made use of "referendarii" to investigate and prepare the signing - hence the name signatura - of petitions and other cases presented to the Holy See. Pope Eugene IVPope Eugene IV
Pope Eugene IV , born Gabriele Condulmer, was pope from March 3, 1431, to his death.-Biography:He was born in Venice to a rich merchant family, a Correr on his mother's side. Condulmer entered the Order of Saint Augustine at the monastery of St. George in his native city...
(1431-1447) entrusted these referendaries with authority to sign certain petitions and thereby established a permanent office for this purpose. Under Popes Alexander VI
Pope Alexander VI
Pope Alexander VI , born Roderic Llançol i Borja was Pope from 1492 until his death on 18 August 1503. He is one of the most controversial of the Renaissance popes, and his Italianized surname—Borgia—became a byword for the debased standards of the Papacy of that era, most notoriously the Banquet...
, Sixtus IV
Pope Sixtus IV
Pope Sixtus IV , born Francesco della Rovere, was Pope from 1471 to 1484. His accomplishments as Pope included the establishment of the Sistine Chapel; the group of artists that he brought together introduced the Early Renaissance into Rome with the first masterpiece of the city's new artistic age,...
and Julius II
Pope Julius II
Pope Julius II , nicknamed "The Fearsome Pope" and "The Warrior Pope" , born Giuliano della Rovere, was Pope from 1503 to 1513...
this office was divided into two, the Signatura gratiae for examining petitions for favours, and the Signatura iustitiae for contentious cases. The honourable office of referendary came to be conferred frequently as a merely honorary title, but Pope Sixtus V
Pope Sixtus V
Pope Sixtus V , born Felice Peretti di Montalto, was Pope from 1585 to 1590.-Early life:The chronicler Andrija Zmajević states that Felice's family originated from modern-day Montenegro...
put a limit on their number, and Pope Alexander VII
Pope Alexander VII
Pope Alexander VII , born Fabio Chigi, was Pope from 7 April 1655, until his death.- Early life :Born in Siena, a member of the illustrious banking family of Chigi and a great-nephew of Pope Paul V , he was privately tutored and eventually received doctorates of philosophy, law, and theology from...
combined the limited number of voting referendaries into a college, assisted by the simple referendaries, who had only a consultative position. The Signatura gratiae gradually lost its functions to other bodies, and the growth of the work of the Roman Rota, the foundation of the Congregations of Cardinals resulted in the Signatura iustitiae becoming mainly a Supreme Court of the Papal States.
On 29 June 1909, Pope Pius X
Pope Pius X
Pope Saint Pius X , born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto, was the 257th Pope of the Catholic Church, serving from 1903 to 1914. He was the first pope since Pope Pius V to be canonized. Pius X rejected modernist interpretations of Catholic doctrine, promoting traditional devotional practices and orthodox...
reestablished a single Apostolic Signatura, consisting of six cardinals, one of whom acted as its prefect. On 28 June 1915, Pope Benedict XV
Pope Benedict XV
Pope Benedict XV , born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, reigned as Pope from 3 September 1914 to 22 January 1922...
reconstituted the college of the voting referendaries and simple referendaries with consultative functions and the 1917 Code of Canon Law removed the limitation of the number of cardinals members of this Supreme Tribunal.
The present competence of the Apostolic Signatura is that laid down in the apostolic constitution Pastor Bonus of 28 June 1988.
Prefects of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura since 1908
- Vincenzo Vannutelli (20 Oct 1908 - 9 Jul 1930)
- Michele LegaMichele LegaMichele Lega S.T.D. J.U.D. was a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Prefect of the Congregation for the Discipline of Sacraments....
(15 Dec 1914 - 20 Mar 1920) - Augusto SiljAugusto SiljAugusto Silj J.U.D. was a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura.Augusto Silj was born in Calcara di Visso, Italy...
(20 Mar 1920 - 26 Feb 1926) - Francesco RagonesiFrancesco RagonesiFrancesco Cardinal Ragonesi S.T.D. J.U.D. was a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and was the Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura....
(9 Mar 1926 - 14 Sep 1931) - Bonaventura CerrettiBonaventura CerrettiBonaventura Cerretti was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura from 1931 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1925....
(12 Oct 1931 - 8 May 1933) - Enrico GasparriEnrico GasparriEnrico Gasparri S.T.D. JUD was a Roman Catholic Cardinal and Archbishop. Pietro Gasparri, who in 1929 signed the Lateran Pacts, was his uncle....
(18 May 1933 - 20 May 1946) - Massimo MassimiMassimo MassimiMassimo Massimi was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura in the Roman Curia from 1946 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1935.-Biography:...
(29 May 1946 - 6 Mar 1954) - Giuseppe BrunoGiuseppe BrunoGiuseppe Bruno was a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Secretary of the Sacred Congregation of the Council and as Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura. He was born in Sezzadio, Italy.-Education:...
(20 Mar 1954 - 10 Nov 1954) - Gaetano CicognaniGaetano CicognaniGaetano Cicognani was an Italian Cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura from 1954 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1953 by Pope Pius XII.-Biography:...
(18 Nov 1954 - 5 Feb 1962) - Francesco RobertiFrancesco RobertiFrancesco Roberti was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura in the Roman Curia from 1959 to 1969, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1958. He was also known for his work in moral theology...
(14 Nov 1959 - 24 Mar 1969) - Dino StaffaDino StaffaDino Staffa was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura from 1967 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1967.-Early life and ordination:...
(7 Apr 1967 - 7 Aug 1977) - Pericle Felici (13 Sep 1977 - 22 Mar 1982 )
- Aurelio SabattaniAurelio SabattaniAurelio Sabattani JUD was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura from 1967 until his death, and was elevated to the Cardinalate in 1983.-Education:...
(17 May 1982 - 1 Jul 1988) - Achille SilvestriniAchille SilvestriniAchille Silvestrini was one of the most prominent Vatican diplomats during the long reign of John Paul II...
(1 Jul 1988 - 24 May 1991) - Gilberto Agustoni (2 Apr 1992 - 5 Oct 1998)
- Zenon Grocholewski (5 Oct 1998 - 15 Nov 1999)
- Mario Francesco Pompedda (15 Nov 1999 - 27 May 2004)
- Agostino ValliniAgostino ValliniAgostino Vallini is an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He currently serves as Vicar General of Rome, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 2006.-Biography:...
(27 May 2004 - 27 June 2008) - Raymond Leo BurkeRaymond Leo BurkeRaymond Leo Burke is an American Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church. He is the current Cardinal Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, having previously served as Archbishop of St...
(27 June 2008 - )
Current Membership
The following are the present members of the Apostolic Signatura:- Raymond Leo BurkeRaymond Leo BurkeRaymond Leo Burke is an American Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church. He is the current Cardinal Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, having previously served as Archbishop of St...
, Prefect - Agostino ValliniAgostino ValliniAgostino Vallini is an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He currently serves as Vicar General of Rome, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 2006.-Biography:...
- Giovanni LajoloGiovanni LajoloGiovanni Lajolo is the Cardinal emeritus President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State and emeritus President of the Governorate of Vatican City State.-Early life and ordination:...
- Józef Glemp
- Antonio Rouco Varela
- Edward Michael Egan
- Péter Erdő
- Agostino Cacciavillan
- Sergio Sebastiani
- Walter Kasper
- Jean-Louis Tauran
- Julian Herranz
- Zenon Grocholewski
- Lluís Martínez SistachLluís Martínez SistachLluís Cardinal Martínez Sistach is the current Archbishop of Barcelona.Martínez Sistach is the son of Juan Martínez Puig, a commercial representative, and María Sistach Masllorens, a housewife; they had three children, two girls and Lluís; they resided in the neighborhood of Guinardó, where his...
- Joseph Mercieca
- Emilio Eid
- Eduardo DavinoEduardo DavinoEduardo Davino was the Roman Catholic bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Palestrina, Italy.Ordained to the priesthood in 1952, he was ordained a bishop in 1993. Davino was appointed bishop of the Palestrina Diocese in 1997 and retired in 2005 Bishop Dabino died on January 20th of 2011.-Notes:...
- Heinrich MussinghoffHeinrich MussinghoffMost Reverend Dr. Heinrich Mussinghoff is the Roman Catholic Bishop of Aachen, Germany.Born in Osterwick in northwestern Westphalia, he studied philosophy and theology in Münster and Freiburg. 1968 he was consecrated as priest in Münster by Bishop Joseph Höffner...
- Francesco CoccopalmerioFrancesco CoccopalmerioFrancesco Coccopalmerio is the current President of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts since his appointment by Pope Benedict XVI on 15 February 2007.-Early life:...
- Velasio De PaolisVelasio de PaolisVelasio de Paolis, CS JCD STL is an Italian cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was president emeritus of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See and is Pontifical Delegate for the Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ.-Early life:De Paolis was born in Sonnino, and became a...
, C.S. - Stanislav ZvolenskýStanislav ZvolenskýStanislav Zvolenský is a Slovakian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the first and current Archbishop of Bratislava.-Biography:...
- Filippo Iannone, O. Carm.
- Fernando Jose Monteiro Guimaraes, C.SS.R.
- Ryszard Kasyna
- Thomas Doran
- Javier Echevarria RodriguezJavier Echevarria RodriguezMost Reverend Bishop Javier Echevarría Rodríguez is a Spanish bishop of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the current head of the Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei...