"The Tribunal of Mercy and Grace": When and how We should refer to the Apostolic Penitentiary? (Practical guidelines for a confessor and a priest)

Abstract

The Apostolic Penitentiary constitutes a relatively little-known dicastery of the Roman Curia, however, with a very rich and long history. From the rich and very distant history of the institution, also in the context of the Year of the Faith (2012-2013) announced by the Pope Benedict XVI, we should quote the fact that with the development of the penitential practices in the Church the necessity of taking the relevant measures in order to help the pilgrims who – coming to the Eternal City – tried to receive absolution of their sins as well as they tried to obtain exemption from the sanctions reserved only to the Pope’s disposal as well was perceived. The subject of the works of the Apostolic Penitentiary is settling the special issues (sui generis) that concern the forum internum, that is the matter of conscience and moral problems of particular worshippers (both the clergy as well as the lay faithful) that are at the foundation of the specific and frequently hard-to-solve problems of the human nature directed to the Penitentiary. The Apostolic Penitentiary, in general, settles everything that affects the matter of conscience. Therefore, apart from granting grace, remission of sins, dispensing, exchanging and decreasing censures, canonical sanctions, it analyses and settles all the matters of conscience that have been presented to it; in this last example, first of all, by providing the answers for particular doubts of moral and legal nature that are depicted by confessors or interested people. In these very wide competences the Apostolic Penitentiary solves solely single and specific problems, whereas settlement of the issues of sub specie universalitatis falls within the competences of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Additionally, the subject of works of the Apostolic Penitentiary is granting indulgences.