At 12:30pm today in the Sala Clementina at the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father, Pope Francis met with the Prelate Auditors, the Officials and the Advocates of the Tribunal of the Roman Rota on the occasion of the solemn inauguration of a new judicial year.
Following the greetings presented to the Holy Father by the Dean of the Rota, His Excellency, Pio Vito Pinto, the Pope addressed those who were present.
Dear Prelate Auditors, Officials and collaborators from the Apostolic Tribunal of the Roman Rota,
I am meeting with you this first time, on the occasion of the inauguration of the new judicial year. I cordially greet the college of Prelate auditors, beginning with the Dean, Bishop Pio Vito Pinto, who I wish to thank for the words which he offered me in the name of all those who are present here. I also wish to greet the Officials, the Lawyers and the other collaborators, as well as the members of the Rota staff. This meeting permits me an opportunity to thank you for your precious service to the Church. My gratitude is directed in particular to you, the judges of the Rota who are called to carry out your delicate work in the name of and by mandate of the Successor of Peter.
The juridical and pastoral dimensions of ecclesiastical ministry are not opposed to one another because they both contribute to the achievement of the goal and the unity of action proper to the Church. The juridical activity of the Church, which is configured as a service to the truth of justice, has in fact a profound pastoral connotation, because it contributes to the pursuit of the good of the faithful and to the edification of the Christian community. This work is a particular development of the power of governance, intended to attend to the spiritual care of the People of God, and is therefore fully understood as part of the path and the mission of the Church. It follows that the judicial office is a true diaconate, that is a service to the People of God toward the consolidation of full communion among the individual believers as well as between them and the ecclesial community. In other words, dear judges, in carrying out your specific ministry, you offer a competent contribution toward addressing emerging pastoral issues.
I want to give a brief profile of the ecclesiastical judge. First of all, concerning the human profile: judges require human maturity which is expressed in serenity of judgement and detachment from personal views. Another part of human maturity is the capacity to immerse oneself in the mentality and the legitimate aspirations of the community in which your service is exercised. In this way, the judge will be able to interpret the quell'animus communitatis that characterizes the portion of the People of God which his work concerns, and is capable of practicing justice that is not legalistic or abstract, but suited to the needs of concrete reality. As a result, he should not be satisfied with superficial knowledge of the reality of the persons who await his judgement, but aware of the need to go to the very depths of the situations facing the parities, studying the acts and all the elements in depth in order to uncover all relevant matters before pronouncing judgement.
The second aspect is that of the judiciary, In addition to the requirements of juridical doctrine and theology, in the exercise of his ministry, the judge is characterized by possessing an expertise in law, objectivity and fairness in judgement, and adjudicates with impartiality and with imperturbable equidistance. In these activities, you are guided by a commitment to protect the truth, while respecting the law, not to mention the delicacy and the human nature which belongs to the pastor of souls.
The third aspect is the pastoral nature of your work. As an expression of the pastoral concern of the Pope and the Bishops, judges are required to possess not only proven expertise, but also a genuine spirit of service. You are the servants of justice, called to treat and judge the condition of the faithful who confidently turn to you, imitating the Good Shepherd who cares for the wounded sheep. It is for this reason that you must be always motivated by pastoral charity, the charity that the Lord has poured into our hearts by means of the Holy Spirit who was given to us (Rom 5:5). Charity - Saint Paul writes - is the bond of perfection (Col 3:14). It also constitutes the soul of the role of the ecclesiastical judge.
Your ministry, dear judges and functionaries of the Tribunal of the Roman Rota, manifested in the joy and the serenity that comes from exercising our ministry where the Lord has sent us, is a service particular to the God of Love who is close to every person. Essentially, you are shepherds. While you carry out your judicial work, never forget that you are shepherds! Behind every practice, every position, every cause, there are people who are waiting for justice.
Dear brothers, I want to thank you and to encourage you to pursue your munus in a scrupulous but gentle fashion. Pray for me! May the Lord bless you, and may the Madonna protect you.
Following the greetings presented to the Holy Father by the Dean of the Rota, His Excellency, Pio Vito Pinto, the Pope addressed those who were present.
Address of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
to the Tribunal of the Roman Rota
Dear Prelate Auditors, Officials and collaborators from the Apostolic Tribunal of the Roman Rota,
I am meeting with you this first time, on the occasion of the inauguration of the new judicial year. I cordially greet the college of Prelate auditors, beginning with the Dean, Bishop Pio Vito Pinto, who I wish to thank for the words which he offered me in the name of all those who are present here. I also wish to greet the Officials, the Lawyers and the other collaborators, as well as the members of the Rota staff. This meeting permits me an opportunity to thank you for your precious service to the Church. My gratitude is directed in particular to you, the judges of the Rota who are called to carry out your delicate work in the name of and by mandate of the Successor of Peter.
The juridical and pastoral dimensions of ecclesiastical ministry are not opposed to one another because they both contribute to the achievement of the goal and the unity of action proper to the Church. The juridical activity of the Church, which is configured as a service to the truth of justice, has in fact a profound pastoral connotation, because it contributes to the pursuit of the good of the faithful and to the edification of the Christian community. This work is a particular development of the power of governance, intended to attend to the spiritual care of the People of God, and is therefore fully understood as part of the path and the mission of the Church. It follows that the judicial office is a true diaconate, that is a service to the People of God toward the consolidation of full communion among the individual believers as well as between them and the ecclesial community. In other words, dear judges, in carrying out your specific ministry, you offer a competent contribution toward addressing emerging pastoral issues.
I want to give a brief profile of the ecclesiastical judge. First of all, concerning the human profile: judges require human maturity which is expressed in serenity of judgement and detachment from personal views. Another part of human maturity is the capacity to immerse oneself in the mentality and the legitimate aspirations of the community in which your service is exercised. In this way, the judge will be able to interpret the quell'animus communitatis that characterizes the portion of the People of God which his work concerns, and is capable of practicing justice that is not legalistic or abstract, but suited to the needs of concrete reality. As a result, he should not be satisfied with superficial knowledge of the reality of the persons who await his judgement, but aware of the need to go to the very depths of the situations facing the parities, studying the acts and all the elements in depth in order to uncover all relevant matters before pronouncing judgement.
The second aspect is that of the judiciary, In addition to the requirements of juridical doctrine and theology, in the exercise of his ministry, the judge is characterized by possessing an expertise in law, objectivity and fairness in judgement, and adjudicates with impartiality and with imperturbable equidistance. In these activities, you are guided by a commitment to protect the truth, while respecting the law, not to mention the delicacy and the human nature which belongs to the pastor of souls.
The third aspect is the pastoral nature of your work. As an expression of the pastoral concern of the Pope and the Bishops, judges are required to possess not only proven expertise, but also a genuine spirit of service. You are the servants of justice, called to treat and judge the condition of the faithful who confidently turn to you, imitating the Good Shepherd who cares for the wounded sheep. It is for this reason that you must be always motivated by pastoral charity, the charity that the Lord has poured into our hearts by means of the Holy Spirit who was given to us (Rom 5:5). Charity - Saint Paul writes - is the bond of perfection (Col 3:14). It also constitutes the soul of the role of the ecclesiastical judge.
Your ministry, dear judges and functionaries of the Tribunal of the Roman Rota, manifested in the joy and the serenity that comes from exercising our ministry where the Lord has sent us, is a service particular to the God of Love who is close to every person. Essentially, you are shepherds. While you carry out your judicial work, never forget that you are shepherds! Behind every practice, every position, every cause, there are people who are waiting for justice.
Dear brothers, I want to thank you and to encourage you to pursue your munus in a scrupulous but gentle fashion. Pray for me! May the Lord bless you, and may the Madonna protect you.
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