„Ne quid rerum dictae Poenitentiariae lapsu temporis pereat” : A Sacra Poenitentiaria Apostolica levéltárának rövid bemutatása = „Ne quid rerum dictae Poenitentiariae lapsu temporis pereat” : Discovering the Archives of the Apostolic Penitentiary

Taraborrelli, Ugo (2026) „Ne quid rerum dictae Poenitentiariae lapsu temporis pereat” : A Sacra Poenitentiaria Apostolica levéltárának rövid bemutatása = „Ne quid rerum dictae Poenitentiariae lapsu temporis pereat” : Discovering the Archives of the Apostolic Penitentiary. LEVÉLTÁRI KÖZLEMÉNYEK, 96 (2025). pp. 161-176. ISSN 0024-1512

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Abstract

The Apostolic Penitentiary is one of the oldest dicasteries of the Roman Curia. Itsorigins dates to the late 12th century when the popes began delegating to a cardinal– known as Major Penitentiary – to absolve censures and grant dispensation fromirregularities reserved to the Roman Pontiff. During the Middle Ages, the jurisdic-tion of the Penitentiary gradually expanded over a wide range of matters, both inthe internal forum (the private sphere of individual conscience) and in the exter-nal, public forum. In 1569 Pius V carried out a profound reform of the office’sjurisdiction and organization, adapting it to the reforming impulses of the pos-Tridentine Church. Throughout the early modern period, the ApostolicPenitentiary thus became the Church’s supreme authority for matters of the inter-nal forum. Nevertheless, at times of particular crisis, popes continued to entrustthe Major Penitentiary with specific faculties in the external forum. In 1908, PiusX definitively defined the Penitentiary’s jurisdiction as a tribunal of the internalforum, a status most recently reaffirmed by Francis.By long-standing custom, the Penitentiary has maintained its historicalarchives independently. Owing to the sensitive nature of cases pertaining to theinternal forum, this documentary heritage remained closed to historical researchfor a long time. Following an initial partial opening in 1988, the archival fondsrelating to the history of the Penitentiary and its activities in the external forumwere officially opened for public consultation in 2011. This paper offers an initialguide to the available documentation, together with a concise overview of the his-tory of the office and its archives.

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