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Apostolic Signatura

Highest judicial authority within the Catholic Church aside from the pope

  • 7 min read
  • 4 chapters

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Through Rome and Interpretation (Catholic canon law)

Since 8 November 2014, the prefect of the tribunal has been Cardinal Dominique Mamberti. Its secretary since 26 January 2022 has been Andrea Ripa.

The tribunal is housed in the Italian Renaissance-era Palazzo della Cancelleria in Rome, Italy, which is also the headquarters and meeting place of the Catholic Church's two other major tribunals: the Sacred Roman Rota (which is normally the final appellate tribunal of the church in most cases, especially those regarding marriage nullification and clerical trials and disciplinary procedures), and the Apostolic Penitentiary (which is a tribunal of mercy concerning the forgiveness of sins reserved to the Holy See).

Field of competence

The Signatura's competence covers:

  1. complaints of nullity and petitions for total reinstatement against sentences of the Roman Rota;
  2. recourses, in cases concerning the status of persons, when the Roman Rota has denied a new examination of the case;
  3. exceptions of suspicion and other proceedings against judges of the Roman Rota arising from the exercise of their functions;
  4. conflicts of competence between tribunals which are not subject to the same appellate tribunal.

Apart from these judicial matters, the Signatura has the competence as an administrative tribunal to deal with controversies over administrative decisions made by or approved by dicasteries (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 by departments of the curia, 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 competence (jurisdiction) of tribunals, grant dispensations from procedural laws, establish inter diocesan tribunals, and discipline canonical advocates.

The Apostolic Signatura is also the final court of cassation in the civil legal system of Vatican City State. According to Vatican City State Law CCCLI issued on 16 March 2020, its competence includes appeals concerning legal procedure and judicial competence. According to a 2008 law issued by Pope Benedict XVI, the civil legal system of Vatican City State recognizes canon law as its first source of norms and first principle of interpretation. Pope Francis has stated that principles of canon law are essential to the interpretation and application of the laws of Vatican City State.

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