A National Tribunal Service has been established to ensure that Canon or church law is applied consistently and impartially throughout the Church in England and Wales.
It will be based in the Bishops’ Conference headquarters in London and have one of two penal tribunals in Liverpool.
At a Mass on Saturday, November 4, Cardinal Vincent Nichols described the new tribunal service as “a focus of practical love and service” which would “ensure that the rights and obligations of all the Christian faithful are upheld, robustly and impartially, and that justice and equality must prevail”. He added: “This is love in action.”
In November 2022, the bishops voted to establish the tribunal following the recommendations of the Elliott Review into Safeguarding Structures and Practice in the Church.
In May, the Apostolic Signatura or Supreme Tribunal of the Holy See which ensures that justice in the Church is correctly administered, granted approval for the tribunal. Cardinal Dominique Mamberti, prefect of the Signatura described the tribunal’s launch as “a momentous occasion in the life of the local Church”.
He said in a letter to Cardinal Nichols: “May the ministry of justice undertaken by the newly instituted tribunal faithfully reflect the Face of Christ, Justus Judex.”
Father John Poland JCD, a priest of Liverpool archdiocese who held a key role in the creation of the Tribunal said: “Fairness and justice lie at the heart of our Christian life. The establishment of the NTS demonstrates the commitment of the Church in England and Wales to promote and encourage consistent and fair practice in the determination of penal cases in accordance with the law of the Church.”
The tribunal will deal with all cases pertaining to the sexual abuse of children and vulnerable adults, but its remit covers wide-ranging offences that affect clergy, religious and lay people under Canon Law.
It will include the National Penal Tribunal which has two tribunals or instances. Bishop John Sherrington is to be moderator of the first instance, based in London. Bishop Thomas Neylon is the moderator of the second or appeal tribunal located in Liverpool. The NTS will also be an inter-ecclesial tribunal, thus competent to hear cases of members of Churches covered by the 1990 Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches.
For enquiries, please email: tribunal.office@catholictribunal.org.uk
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