The primary agency of the Vatican is the Secretariat of State, which helps the Pope in governance of the universal Church and in relations with nations and international organizations.
As we continue our look at how the Pope governs the Church, the primary
agency is the Secretariat of State. It directly
assists the Pope in expediting governance of the universal Church and in relations
with nations and international organizations. A special group of 15 cardinals
advises the Secretariat in financial matters related to the Vatican.
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) is responsible for protecting all matters of doctrine relating to faith and morals. Documents of other dicasteries relating to faith and morals are subject to prior judgment by this congregation.
Attached to the CDF are the Pontifical Biblical Commission and the International Theological Commission. The Congregation for the Oriental Churches has competence in all that concerns the faithful of the Eastern Catholic Churches except for those matters reserved to other dicasteries.
The Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments oversees, fosters, and protects the valid celebration of the liturgy and the sacraments and has responsibility for liturgical texts and missals. In old times this congregation examined cases concerning the non-consummation of marriage and the nullity of orders, but today it is the Tribunal of the Roman Rota that deals with such cases.
The Congregation for Causes of Saints deals with processes for canonizations and the authentication of relics. The Congregation for Bishops is competent in all matters concerning particular churches, bishops, and groups of bishops, as well as personal prelatures. Attached to this congregation is the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.
The Congregation for Evangelization of Peoples is responsible for moderating and coordinating all missionary activity, including erecting missionary institutes of consecrated life, regulating missionary organizations, and overseeing finances for missions.
The Congregation for the Clergy has competence in all matters concerning the discipline, rights, and obligations of clergy, as well as what pertains to the clergy state. This congregation also oversees religious education and catechetical instruction and is responsible for major actions in the administration of temporal goods belonging to the Holy See throughout the world.
The Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life has competence over these entities as well as associations of the faithful formed with a view to becoming such institutes or societies.
The Congregation for Seminaries and Institutes of Studies has competence over seminaries, issues norms for Catholic schools, and ratifies statutes for ecclesiastical institutions and universities.
The tribunals of the Curia include the three tribunals of the Holy See: The Apostolic Penitentiary, the Apostolic Signatura, and the Roman Rota. The Apostolic Penitentiary deals with all internal forum matters as well as with indulgences.
The modus operandi of the Apostolic Penitentiary may be illustrated in the case of a priest who attempts marriage, even though civilly only, and thereby incurs an irregularity reserved to the Holy See only and an automatic suspension (canon 1394).
As with all the organizations of the Holy See in general, the faithful have the right to have recourse to the penitentiary either directly or through someone else. The nature of the matters involved and the experience indicate that recourse should be made anonymously, through the services of the confessor if the matter has to do with sin or through a spiritual director if it is a matter of internal forum.
The Signatura cares for the proper administration of justice in various grades of tribunals in the Church and deals with complaints of nullity, recourse, exceptions, conflicts of competence among dicasteries, and actions impugned due to alleged violations of law or of procedure.
The Rota, to which judges from all parts of the world are assigned by the Pope, is the tribunal of the Apostolic See for protecting rights in the Church, developing jurisprudence, and aiding other ecclesiastical tribunals.