This morning we visited the Tribunal of the Roman Rota, which is the court of third instance, primarily for marriage cases from dioceses around the world. This means that they hear cases on appeal from lower courts. The judges of the Rota are given ordinary power from the Holy Father to judge cases according to Church law, usually relating to marriages and annulments. Msgr. Kenneth Boccafola, an American member of the Rota, showed us around the offices and courtrooms of one of the Church's highest Tribunals.
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| One of the courtrooms at the Sacred Roman Rota |
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| Msgr. Boccafola explains the Rota's work to the class |
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| Another impressive room at the Rota |
After our visit to the Rota, we stopped by the Casa Santa Maria, the previous location of the
Pontifical North American College. After the PNAC moved to its current location on the Janiculum Hill in the early 1950s, the Casa Santa Maria became the official residence for American priests pursuing post-graduate studies in the Roman universities. The Casa hosted us for lunch, and some of us were able to visit with priests from our own dioceses living at the Casa during their studies. Our own Fr. Juan Miguel Betancourt lived at the Casa for four years while he studied at the nearby Pontifical Biblical Institute (Biblicum), so he was able to give us a nice tour. Several other current members of the priest faculty at the Saint Paul Seminary lived at the Casa during their years in Rome. The Casa Santa Maria also houses the U.S. Bishops' office for Visitors to the Vatican, a very helpful resource for anyone planning a pilgrimage to Rome.
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| Msgr. Francis Kelly, a priest of the Diocese of Worcester, MA, and Superior of the Casa Santa Maria, gives us the history of the Casa |
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| Praying in the beautiful chapel of the Casa (formerly a Dominican convent, built in the 17th century) |
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