PROCURATORS OF THE SACRED APOSTOLIC PALACES (Sacri Palatii Apostolici causarum and College of patrons or Patroni decuriales Sacri Palatii). - A college of persons (currently 12), chosen from the entire Order of the p. of the Curia, to whom is granted the right to present and defend the rights of litigants and especially of poor persons before ecclesiastical judges and in ancient times also before the cardinals and the Pope.
These p. are mentioned under Innocent II (1130-43); Benedict XII (const. Decens et necessarium of 7 Oct. 1340: Bullarium Rom., IV, Turin 1859, p. 461 bis) united them into a college. Martin V (const. In apostolicae of 1 Sept. 1418: ibid., IV, p. 680) fixed the requirements necessary for their appointment; Leo X reformed them and approved their statutes (const. Pastoralis officii, 13 Dec. 1513). Paul III, in the year 1538, established that the deputies of these p. could take part in the pontifical Chapel and in processions and public functions (v. T. Mancinelli, Summorum Pontificum acta, quae ad Patronos decuriales causarum S. P. A. spectant, Rome 1887, p. 1). Paul V (motu proprio Cum pro pastorali, 16 Oct. 1618: ibid., p. 3) established that the College should be composed of 24 patrons, also confirming their statutes, and declared them qualified for patronage in Rotal causes and in any other matter without any further examination and approval; their admission was to take place at the University of Rome by a plurality of suffrages of the members of the College. Following the election, the elect had to undergo an examination, take an oath to serve justice faithfully and to undertake the patronage of the poor. The Ven. Innocent XI (15 Oct. 1678) established that only the p. of the College should be employed for the compilation of summaries and the drafting of informations in facto in causes of beatification and canonization. Clement XIII (const. Superni dispositione consilii, 30 March 1785), declared that the offices of commissary general of the Apostolic Chamber (v.), of prefect for obitum of the Apostolic Datary (v.), of civil lieutenant of the Tribunal of the government, of secretary or administrator of the monti and of the three p. of the Rev. Apostolic Chamber and of fiscal of the Congr. of the Rev. Fabric of St. Peter should in perpetuity be granted to the College of the p. of the PP. AA. With Clement XI (brief 26 Aug. 1708) these also obtained a certain vigilance over the public treasury. They had other privileges from Benedict XIV (const. Romanae Curiae, 21 Dec. 1744), from Clement XIII (brief 30 March 1765), who again approved their statutes. The p. examined the notariandi and had the exclusive right to be chosen as curators for fideicommissa or primogenitures.
Gregory XVI (const. Amplissimum Patronorum, 31 March 1835: V. Mancinelli, op. cit., p. 26) granted to the p. the office of fiscals of the roads and waters. The College of the p. of the SS.PP.AA. was reformed by Pius X, Benedict XV and Pius XI (protocol between the Holy See and the Italian government for the execution of art. 10 of the Lateran Treaty, 6 Sept. 1932).
The latest pontifical provisions, contained in the Normae S. R. Rotae Tribunalis of 29 June 1934, establish (art. 54) that the p. of the SS.PP.AA. enjoy the right to defend causes - vi officii - before the S. R. Rota. This right is confirmed in no. 85 of the const. Ad incrementum decoris of Pius XI dated 15 Aug. 1934 (AAS, 26 [1934], p. 497). It should be remembered that Pius XI abrogated quatenus opus sit the privilege of enrollment in the College for candidates not provided with the title of Rotal advocate (v. letter of the cardinal secretary of State of 23 March 1933, no. 121216).
Bibliography6 works
Guglielmo Felici