Issue 15 Marriage Matters November 2018

As a practical necessity, the  Notifying the law gives the bishop the Respondent that the ability to exercise his judicial process has begun; power vicariously through others, and the law establishes  Determining the the positions of judicial vicar grounds on which PLAYING OUR and judge for this purpose. cases will be decided; POSITIONS The judicial vicar must be a PART 1: THE JUDICIAL priest of “unimpaired  Assigning judges and VICAR reputation” who is at least other officials to thirty years old and has a cases; The Office of the Tribunal and license or doctorate in canon Matrimonial Concerns law (canon 1420 §4). He has  And notifying the utilizes the services of several the authority to judge any and parishes where the different people in many all cases that the diocesan parties were baptized different positions in our work tribunal legitimately accepts or married of an of processing marriage except for those that the affirmative decision annulments. We thought it bishop reserves to himself. so they can update would be helpful to give a Practically speaking, the their records. basic job description of each bishop does not reserve of these positions over the marriage nullity cases to The diocesan bishop may also next few issues of this himself, meaning that the assign the judicial vicar newsletter so that pastoral judicial vicar serves as the additional responsibilities. In ministers who communicate presiding judge of all our diocese, the bishop has with our office know which marriage nullity cases traditionally delegated the person to contact if they have processed by our tribunal, the authority to the judicial vicar particular questions or exception being cases in to grant requests for marriage concerns. We will begin with which the judicial vicar has a dispensations and the judicial vicar. conflict of interest (e.g. he is permissions, for example. also the pastor of one of the The Code of Canon Law parties in the case). That’s it for the judicial vicar. states: “In each diocese, the Tune in next month when we judge in first instance for In addition to his oversight of will look at the role of the cases of nullity of the tribunal office and the judge. Until then, keep the marriage…is the diocesan tasks he has in common with faith, love God’s people, and bishop, who can exercise other judges, the judicial vicar always honor the code! judicial power personally or has several responsibilities through others, according to throughout the annulment the norm of law” (canon 1673 process, including but not §1). This canon stresses the limited to the following: fact that the supreme judge of a diocesan tribunal is the  Formally accepting diocesan bishop; it is his cases to be processed judicial power that the by the tribunal; tribunal exercises when processing annulment cases.