Folia Theologica et Canonica 7. 29/21 (2018)
Lectio magistralis
SEVERAL COMPETENCES, BUT ONE SOLE DICASTERY... 19 Moreover, it is appropriate that its various competences should be exercised by a single Dicastery12, since the same staff can thus intervene in its various fields of competence without fragmenting them, thereby acquiring vast experience on the actual administration of justice in the Church. This vast experience helps the Apostolic Signatura as Supreme Tribunal to fulfil better its delicate task, while on the other hand its nature as a Supreme Tribunal strengthens its administrative interventions in so far as they originate from a highly qualified tribunal. 12 In the event of an administrative-contentious recourse against an administrative decision of the Apostolic Signatura, the examination of this recourse is also its responsibility, which could give rise to a suspicion of partiality. In these very rare cases, the Apostolic Signatura appoints a referendary, that is to say an external collaborator, as promoter of justice, and also judges who have not yet intervened in the case. Separating the administrative function from the judicial function by entrusting them to two separate bodies would require a greater number of staff. The best is often the enemy of the good.
