Article I: Of the Sacred Roman Rota

§ 1. The ordinary tribunal constituted by the Holy See for receiving appeals is the Sacred Roman Rota, which is a collegial tribunal consisting of a fixed number of Auditors, over whom presides the Dean, who is first among equals.

§ 2. These must be priests furnished with a doctoral degree at least in both laws.

§ 3. The election of Auditors is reserved to the Roman Pontiff.

§ 4. The Sacred Rota gives judgment either through individual turns of three Auditors, or with all seeing the matter, unless for some cause the Supreme Pontiff establishes otherwise.

§ 1. The Sacred Rota judges:

1° In second instance, causes which have been judged in first grade by the tribunals of any Ordinaries whatever and are brought to the Holy See by legitimate appeal.

2° In last instance, causes already heard by the Sacred Rota itself and by any other tribunals in second or further instance, which have not passed into a judged matter.

§ 2. This tribunal judges also in first instance the causes of which in can. 1557, Sec. 2, or others which the Roman Pontiff, either by his own motion or at the instance of the parties, has called to his own tribunal and committed to the Sacred Rota; and these, unless otherwise provided in the rescript of commission, the Sacred Rota judges also in second and third instance by means of turns succeeding one another.

Greater causes are entirely excluded from the ambit of competence of this tribunal.

Against decrees of Ordinaries there is no appeal or recourse to the Sacred Rota; but Sacred Congregations take cognizance exclusively of recourses of this kind.