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The Apostolic Penitentiary, formerly called the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Penitentiary, is one of the three tribunals of the Roman Curia. The Apostolic Penitentiary is chiefly a tribunal of mercy, responsible for issues relating to the forgiveness of sins in the Catholic Church. The Apostolic Penitentiary has jurisdiction only over matters in the internal forum. Its work falls mainly into these categories: *the absolution of excommunications ''latæ sententiæ'' reserved to the Holy See, *the dispensation of sacramental impediments reserved to the Holy See, and *the issuance and governance of indulgences. The head of the Apostolic Penitentiary, the Major Penitentiary, is one of the few Vatican officials who retain their positions ''sede vacante''. If the Major Penitentiary is a Cardinal Elector he is one of only three persons in the conclave allowed to communicate with those outside the conclave, so that he can continue to fulfill his duties (the other two being the Cardinal Vicar of Rome and the Vicar General for the Vatican City State). The Major Penitentiary is a Titular Archbishop and is normally a Cardinal. Since 21 September 2013, the Major Penitentiary is Cardinal Mauro Piacenza. The second-highest-ranking official in the Apostolic Penitentiary, the Regent, is (since 26 June 2012) H.E.Msgr. Krzysztof Józef Nykiel. When Pope Francis, with the Papal Bull "Misericordiae Vultus" (Latin: "The Face of Mercy") decreed that from the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (a Holy Day of Obligation) on Tuesday, December 8, 2015, until the Solemnity of the Feast of Christ the King of the Universe on the last Sunday before Advent, in November 2016, the Church would observe a Special Jubilee Year of Mercy, he said he would let certain qualified priests (likely somewhat experienced ones, presumably with knowledge of canon law and confession) serve as "Missionaries of Mercy" to each Diocese, with the faculties to absolve even sins that are reserved to the Holy See through the Apostolic Penitentiary. Normally, a priest or even a bishop would not be able to do this unless the person was in danger of imminent death. The Pope has the power, as the earthly absolute sovereign of the Catholic Church, to make this special change for the year.〔https://cnsblog.wordpress.com/2015/04/11/pope-mercy-is-the-beating-heart-of-the-gospel/〕〔https://cnsblog.wordpress.com/2015/04/09/proclaiming-the-holy-year-at-the-holy-door/〕〔http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-francis-now-is-the-time-for-mercy-98103/〕〔http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_letters/documents/papa-francesco_bolla_20150411_misericordiae-vultus.html〕 ==Historical duties== Up until the 18th century, the Apostolic Penitentiary also considered cases of confessor-penitent disputes involving violations against what was termed the "external forum". For particularly heinous sins (for example, rape or murder), or for serious sins committed by penitents of high political or cultural standing, it was often the practice to impose rather harsh penances. This practice was particularly true in the medieval Church, for sins referred to a bishop for absolution. If a penitent felt that the penance imposed was disproportionate to the sins committed, he could submit the dispute to the Apostolic Penitentiary. The alleged offense was said to be against the "external forum"; that is, related to public acts required of the penitent. If the tribunal decided in favor of the penitent, they would issue a formal statement confirming that appropriate recompense had already been made, that the penitent's sins were forgiven, and that the matter was closed. These statements were transcribed by legal clerks, who were paid by fees assessed by Apostolic Penitentiary for the transcription of their decisions. This practice prompted claims that the tribunal, and by extension the Church, accepted money for the forgiveness of sins. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Apostolic Penitentiary」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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