Apostolicum Rotae Romanae Tribunal

The few lines that follow certainly can not fully represent the Tribunal of the Roman Rota, wanting to be a mere indication and an invitation for interested parties to its depth.

In summary, the Tribunal of the Rota, together with the Court of the Apostolic Signatura is one of the Apostolic Tribunal, through which the Roman Pontiff judges on the case of their specific competence reserved by canon law.

The etymology of the name “Rota is the subject of various theories, from one that sees the shift change by rotation of judges, other that refers to the fact that the documents of the cases were placed on a table whose top was rotating, in fact, to allow the examination to the various magistrates, yet another name that relates to the circular room where she had established the Court, as seen in the ancient inscription that is reported, and is perhaps the explanation that we prefer to follow. The only certain fact is, however, that the name is officially back in a bull of Martin V in 1423.

Rota does not always had the power to decide the judgments, as at the beginning had a predominantly advisory role to the Pontiff. Suppressed its activities from 1870 to 1908 and resumed in 1910 without interruption to its proper function of the Court following the enactment of its “law of its own” decision by Pope Pius X.

Synthesize the more complex functions of the Rota, it is only here to report it as an ordinary judge Court of Appeals in second and further degree, of course, even in cases of nullity of marriage, explaining how well the parties have an obligation to appeal Rota in the ruling of the Court of First Instance. At first instance, however, the Rota is competent to judge: the Bishops in contentious matters, subject to the provisions of can. 1419, § 2 2) the abbot primate superior or abbot of a monastic congregation, the supreme moderator of religious institutes of pontifical right, 3) dioceses and other ecclesiastical both legal and natural persons who have below top of the Roman Pontiff. And that in addition to cases in which the Roman Rota Pope entrusts the decision of a court of first instance. 

Rota’s Lawyers have, to date*, 286 worldwide.

*BAR Rota’s Lawyer 2015