1. Ad recursum proponendum apud Collegium contra decretum reiectionis in Congressu latum, non requiritur prosecutio recursus apud idem Collegium. In Supremo Signaturae Apostolicae Tribunali, enim, ratio procedendi apud Sectionem Alteram inducere nequit ad formaliter distinguendos gradus iurisdictionis aut ad instituendam similitudinem cum peculiari turnorum ordinatione in Tribunali Romanae Rotae. Si vestigia quaedam analogiae, in casu de quo agimus, inquirere vellemus cum ratione procedendi eiusdem Romanae Rotae, eadem invenirentur in eo quod contra decretum Ponentis datur recursus ad turnum iudicantem. Quod etiam ex eo confirmatur quod Cardinalis Praefectus praesidet tum Congressui tum Collegio Iudicanti.
2. Recursus ad Collegium contra decretum reiectionis in Congressu latum semper ac de plano admittendus est, eo ipso quod proponitur.
3. De nullitate decreti Congressus ob coarctationem terminorum de quibus in art. 115, § 2 Normarum Specialium nullimode constat, quia nullibi invenitur haec nullitatis sanctio (cf. can. 11 et can. 1680) (in casu utcumque recurrentis patronus de facto suo iure usus est responsione).
4. Recursus contra Tabellas de quibus in art. 3, § 1 Ordinationis generalis Romanae Curiae (anno 1968 foris datae) admittti nequit ex defectu iurisdictionis ex parte Signaturae Apostolicae. Quarum Tabellarum, enim, compositio habenda non est merus actus administrativus reservatus singulis Dicasteriis et approbatus tantum «in forma communi» a Summo Pontifice. Contra vero, cum ipsa Tabella sit enucleativa integratio normarum generalium, in Constitutione Apostolica Regimini Ecclesiae universae et in relativo «Regolamento Generale della Curia Romana» contentarum, eae Tabellae vim habent normativam, ideoque approbari tantum possunt decreto Summi Pontificis.
5. Ratio laboris apud Curiam Romanam qualificationem desumit tantum ab elemento subiectivo, hoc est, a statu iuridico, qui enascitur ex gradu collato personae seu officiali, non vero ex operibus ab eo reapse praestitis (seu ex elemento obiectivo). Quare sermo esse nequit de errore ex parte competentis Curiae Romanae Dicasterii, cum ratio normativa sit uni Summo Pontifici reservata.
| 1. In order to lodge recourse before the College against a decree of rejection issued in the Congress, prosecution of the recourse before the same College is not required. For in the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura the manner of proceeding before the Second Section cannot lead one formally to distinguish grades of jurisdiction, or to posit a similarity with the peculiar arrangement of turni in the Tribunal of the Roman Rota. If, in the case at hand, we wished to look for some traces of analogy with the manner of proceeding of the same Roman Rota, they would be found in the fact that against a decree of the Ponens recourse lies to the judging turnus. This is confirmed also by the fact that the Cardinal Prefect presides over both the Congress and the judging College.
2. Recourse to the College against a decree of rejection issued in the Congress must always be admitted de plano, by the very fact that it is lodged.
3. The nullity of the decree of the Congress by reason of the shortening of the time limits mentioned in art. 115, § 2 of the Normae Speciales is in no way established, since such a sanction of nullity is nowhere to be found (cf. can. 11 and can. 1680) (in the case at hand, in any event, the recurrent’s advocate in fact exercised his right by his response).
4. Recourse against the Tabellae (organic staffing tables) referred to in art. 3, § 1 of the General Regulations of the Roman Curia (issued in 1968) cannot be admitted, for lack of jurisdiction on the part of the Apostolic Signatura. For the drawing up of these Tabellae is not to be regarded as a mere administrative act reserved to the individual Dicasteries and approved by the Supreme Pontiff only «in forma communi». On the contrary, since the Tabella itself is an integration that spells out the general norms contained in the Apostolic Constitution Regimini Ecclesiae universae and in the related «Regolamento Generale della Curia Romana», those Tabellae have normative force, and can therefore be approved only by decree of the Supreme Pontiff.
5. The ordering of work at the Roman Curia takes its qualification solely from the subjective element, that is, from the juridical status which arises from the grade conferred upon the person or official, and not from the work actually performed by him (that is, from the objective element). Hence there can be no question of error on the part of the competent Dicastery of the Roman Curia, since the normative ordering is reserved to the Supreme Pontiff alone. |
