Tribunal Activity

ECCLESIASTICAL TRIBUNAL

DIOCESE OF CHINGLEPUT

Ecclesiastical court, tribunal set up by religious authorities to deal with disputes among clerics or with spiritual matters involving either clerics or laymen. Although such courts are found today among in the diocesan level, their functions have become limited strictly to religious issues and to governance of Church property. A tribunal, generally, is any person or institution with authority to judge, adjudicates on, or determines claims or disputed-whether or not it is called a tribunal in its title.

The diocesan tribunal is an ecclesiastical court, which is governed by the Code of Canon Law. The essential task of the tribunal is to vindicate the truth and defend the rights of the people. The diocesan tribunal is competent to deal with the cases of nullity of marriage, the cases of rights (IURIUM) and penal cases etc.

The diocesan tribunal of Chingleput is competent to judge cases in the first instance.  The ordinary Tribunal of appeal is Metropolitan Tribunal of Madras-Mylapore. In each diocese, the diocesan bishop is the Prime judge for all cases who exercises his power personally or through Judicial Vicar and the officials of the tribunal.

TRIBUNAL  MINISTERS

Judicial Vicar:

Rev. Fr. Yakkobu MCL

Judges:

  1. Rev. Fr. Louis Rayar MCL
  2. Rev. Fr. Anthony DCL
  3. Rev. Fr. Sahaya Stanly MCL
  4. Rev. Fr. Charles MMI MCL

Defender of the Bond:

Rev. Fr. David Kumar DCL

Promotor of Justice:

Rev. Fr. Adaikalaraj MCL

Notary:

Rev. Fr. Charles C

Rev. Fr. Amulraj K

Auditors and Assessors:

Rev. Fr. Terry Stephen MSC, PSYCHOLOGY, DIPLOMA IN SPIRITUAL COUNCILLING.

Mr. Veera Ragavan M.A (HIS.)  EX.  EXECUTIVE  MAGISTRATE.

Other Advocates:

Rev. Fr. Yesu Marian MA ML

Mr. Haribalan BA BL

Typist:

Mrs. Vimala

Contact No: 044-274 266 49/ 9751078003

Email: [email protected]

 

Office Hours:

Monday- Friday: 09.30 am-1.00 pm; 2.00 pm-4.30 pm

Saturday: 09.30 am -1.00 pm

ECCLESIASTICAL PROCEEDINGS FOR MARRIAGE

The Catholic Church teaches that, in a true marriage, one man and one woman become “one flesh” before the eyes of God. Various impediments can render a person unable to validly contract a marriage. Besides impediments, marriage consent can be rendered null due to invalidating factors such as simulation or deceit, or due to psychological incapacity.

For this reason (or for other reasons that render the marriage null and void) the Church, after an examination of the situation by the competent ecclesiastical tribunal, can declare the nullity of a marriage, i.e., that the marriage never existed. In this case the contracting parties are free to marry, provided the natural obligations of a previous union are discharged.

— Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 1629)

The canonical proceedings for the nullity of marriage are essentially a means of ascertaining the truth about the conjugal bond. In the Catholic Church, a declaration of nullity, commonly called an annulment and less commonly a decree of nullity is a judgment on the part of an ecclesiastical tribunal determining that a marriage was invalidly contracted or, less frequently, a judgment determining that ordination was invalidly conferred.

An annulment from the Catholic Church is independent from obtaining a civil annulment (or, in some cases, a divorce). Although, before beginning an annulment process before an ecclesiastical tribunal, it has to be clear that the marriage cannot be rebuilt. In many jurisdictions, some of the grounds the Catholic Church recognizes as sufficient for annulment are not considered grounds for a civil divorce. Likewise, the grounds of the civil divorce cannot be grounds for nullity of marriage of in the Catholic Church

The Pope Francis’s said that the best ways to speed up the annulment process and make it more accessible, so that Catholics who sought annulments could find justice. The new rules are also the latest of Pope Francis’ efforts to promote a more pastoral tone on issues that pit conservative Catholic traditions against a shifting global culture.

Rev. Fr. Yakkobu MCL

Judicial Vicar