Apostolic Signatura

The Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, one of the highest jurisdictional bodies of the Holy See, in the various functions of ordinary, administrative and disciplinary jurisdiction.

The Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura exercises its jurisdiction in several areas. As an ordinary court, it has jurisdiction to judge complaints of nullity and requests for restitutio in integrum against judgments of the Roman Rota; appeals, in cases concerning the status of persons such as matrimonial cases, against the denial of a new examination of the case decided by the Roman Rota; exceptions of suspicione and other cases against judges of the Roman Rota for acts placed in the exercise of their function; and conflicts of jurisdiction between Tribunals, which do not depend on the same Appeals Tribunal.

As an administrative tribunal it judges appeals against singular administrative acts, whether placed by the Dicasteries and the Secretariat of State or approved by them, whenever there is a question of whether the act challenged violated some law, in deliberating or proceeding. This is the case, for example, with appeals against decrees of the Dicasteries of the Roman Curia confirming measures of bishops to remove them from an office, such as may be that of parish priest or other.

The Apostolic Signatura is also recognized as having competence as an administrative organ of justice in disciplinary matters, such as overseeing the proper administration of justice in the various ecclesiastical courts. This tribunal is therefore also competent with regard to any disciplinary measures against ministers, lawyers or procurators.