Papal judge-delegate
 |
| Part of a series on the |
| Canon law of the Catholic Church |
|---|
|
Catholicism portal |
A papal judge delegate was a type of judicial appointment created during the 12th century by the medieval papacy where the pope would designate a local judge, often an ecclesiastic, to decide a case that had been appealed to the papal court.[1]
History
The system began during the pontificate of Pope
An important factor in the growth of the papal judges-delegate system was the corresponding growth of the papal judicial system during the 12th century.[4] Often, cases referred to a judge-delegate were those that were particularly complex, and where the local knowledge of the appointee would be helpful. The appointment ended with the resolution of the case he had been appointed to decide.[1]
The numbers of judges-delegate increased greatly during the 1160s and 1170s. English records for this time are particularly abundant, with a number of English bishops – including
Papal documents referred to the delegates as iudices delegati.[1] A further development was the grant of exemptions from appointment as judge-delegate, with such exemptions first appearing around 1140. By the end of the 12th century, such exemptions were sought after by local ecclesiastics.[3]
Citations
References
- Harper-Bill (2002). "The Anglo-Norman Church". In Harper-Bill, Christopher and Elizabeth Van Houts (ed.). A Companion to the Anglo-Norman World. Woodbridge, UK: Boydell. pp. 165–190. ISBN 978-1-84383-341-3.
- Robinson, I. S. (1990). The Papacy 1073–1198: Continuity and Innovation. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-31922-6.
- Sayers, Jane E. (1971). Papal Judges Delegate in the Province of Canterbury, 1198–1254: A Study in Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction and Administration. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-821836-2.