The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-07-16

changes Church Machinery
Are Approved at Rome,
Ending Old Abuses.
REDISTRIBUTION OF WORK
VARIOUS TRIBUNALS MORE DIS
TiNcTLY SEPARATED.

New York. July 15--A cable to the Sun
says The pope sdecree issued last Mon
al mas the most sweeping reform of
mouefn times in the administi alive ma
s5inery of the Roma catholic church.
Hsuch of the compiled "a and obsolete
bureaucracy which hs4 grown up in the
last two or three centuries is simplified
or swept away.
The first part of the decree.p p. Divides for
redistribution of work, esp scially by
assigning to offices those most Competent
10 deal with duties which have been al
lowed to accumulate elsewhere To this
end the decree particularly separates the
Legislative and disciplinary functions from
the judicial, which in future will be rele-
gated to the proper tribunals
The second part of the decree lays down
the procedure of these tribunals which
will comprehend In the tribunal of the
Rota courts of first instance and appeal.
and in the tribunal of apostolic sigma
ture a court of cessation. 1t also provides
for the protection OF poor sui'or
The third part establishes rules for the
appointment, promotion and sals ries of all
officials. secretaries and others in the
employment of the Holy See.
Serious Reforms.
+, Enacting as it does serious reforms in
the government of the church, the docu-
ment may be regarded as an important
prologue to the new codex of the canon
changes made il must be remembered that
the actual government of the church ever
since the sixteenth century has been del
-aSated by the pope to the con sregations
Scardinals. These correspond more or
r-fess to the ministries of modern states.
an important difference being that the
congregations possess also legislative and
judicial faculties There have existed also
certain tribunals such the penitentiary.
I the rota and the apostolic signature, and
offices for the dispatch of business. such
IN rfra rha A1fa ri0 he 0ha her
ylafAs office and that of the secretary OF
states~
In thsscourse of time this has led some
times to asurpation and sometimes TO
Interchange cfsduties with corresponding
vconfusion in regard TO the work. This was
particularly the case in the judicial ques-
lions assigned TO the tribunals of the
rota and the apostolic signature, with the
result that a case might often pass
through the courts of first instance, ap-
pea, and cessation and find the same
judges in each. In future all contentious
cases will be removed from the congrega-
tions and will be dealt with by the tri
bunals.
Work of Congregations.
The work CT the congregations them
selves has also been redistributed in some
respects. The congregation of the holy
office (the inquisition) will only be con-
cerned with the protection of the doctrine
and the Judgment of heresies. Questions
of discipline. sacramento or other are re-
moved from Its jurisdiction Wi'h the eX-
ception of the questions of marriages be-
a ~een Catholics and non-Catholics.
II he consstorial congregation receives
Vl..Sr power in the relation of bishops and
.yhe control of seminares we'll as of do
%ceses. OF this congregation and that of
the holy office the pope still remains the
fprefect-
a new congregation of the propaganda
loses its jurisdiction over England, Scot
land, ireland, Holland. Luxembourg, Can
ada, the United States and Newfoundland,
which countries now enter into the COM
mon law Nof the church