Barely a fortnight after being re-elected as head of the Conference of
Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI), Cardinal Oswald Gracias, the
Archbishop of Bombay, was granted the title of Lawyer of the sacred
Roman Rota on February 15th..
The Roman Rota is part of the
government system established in Rome by which the Pope discharges the
duties that are devolved on him as Head of the Catholic Church.
"It
is one of the tribunals through which the Pope exercises his sovereign
power of administering justice in ecclesiastical matters," said Father
Nigel Barrett, spokesperson, Archdiocese of Bombay.
The Rota consists of 10 judges of equal status, and the Pope makes the appointment of a judge in person.