The Irish standard., 1908-07-18
Reorganization, With the Rota and Signatura
Restored to Their Former Place
of Honor.
This Nation Taken From Jurisdiction of
Propaganda and Placed in Ranks
of Canonica1 Countries.

One Of the most important Papal
documents which have been issued
for years has just been announced by
cable despatch, says The Boston Pilot
If July II.
Pope Plus X, proceeding In his work
Of reform. reorganizes by its provisions
the judicial and administrative trib-
unals of the church.
The codification Of the Canon Law
of the Church, upon which Cardinal
Gasparri with his assistants, has been
engaged for the past four years. Is
about to be published, and the simpli-
fication resulting from this new digest
Of the various ecclesiastical laws has
no doubt given rise to these organic
changes in the legislative and admin
istrative ecclesiastical bodies which
form the main scope of the Papnl
document.
To understand fully the many chang
es which are introduced into Church
orsa9t4ation by this new Constitution
we need to have before our eyes the
details which only the document itself
| can furnish. but enough has been made
known by the Associated Press dis
patch this week to enable US to see the
| main drifts of the changes which arc
to go into effect In November.
There are two sets Of tribunals In
| were distinct and separate and their
| termine the rights according TO law
! Of litigants who appeal to It's author
| ity. and the purely administrative,
| brought into existence to help the Pope
| in the administration Of the Univer-
| sal Church. To the first class belong
the Sacred Rota and the Signatrra:
| to the second, the Roman Congrcga-
tions. properly so-called. Their powers
| wered istinct and separate and their
| respective scope determined but IN
| course Of time II has come to pass
that the Congregations beyond the ad-
| ministrative power which constitutes
their proper sphere of action. have
been exercising judicial power also,
and have taken over the functions
which In former years were performed
by the Rota and Signature.
The Rota owes its origin to the fact
that some centuries ago the Pope wa.
accustomed to put before his chaplains
for examination and discussion cases
! which were in dispute and were sub
mitted to him for settlement. The
chaplatns heard Of these cases fYrm
the Pope ana so in time they began to
have the name Of Auditors, and as
they discussed these cases seated
around wheel shaped table the trI-
bunal itself came to have the name of
Rota.
1t was the Pope's judicial court. Ju-
dicial matters from their very nature
require long and patient examination.
Question both of fact and Of law must
be gone into. There must be some body
to do this preparatory work of hearing
both parties to suit and Of determin-
ing the truth Of facts and the interprc-
tation OF law before any decision may
be arrived at or any settlement made.
This was the work Of the Sacred Rota.
Above this was the Sacred Signature
SO called because its decisions were al
ways signed by the Pope himself,
which occupied in the Church system
the same places as the Court Of cassa-
ton in European countries and tn,
Supreme Court in the United States
have in the judicial system. 1t was
the last court Of appeal. 1t had two
branches, tho Signature Of Justice and
tho Signature Of Grace.
The province Of the Signature Of
Justice was to examine on appeal the
Judsxnsut Of the lower court Of the
Roee. It passed upon the validity OF
the acts Of the inferior tribunal, whsth.
Or the verdict was given according to.
the weight Of evidence. whether thl.s
had besu . Just interpretation Of th>
lGw. whether In case e oeuaiot -.