This morning, in the Hall of Blessings, the Holy Father Leo XIV presided over the inauguration ceremony of the Judicial Year of Vatican City State Tribunal, in the presence of the President of the Tribunal, the Officials, the lawyers, the collaborators and representatives of the judicial bodies of the Italian State.

The following is the address delivered by the Pope to those present:

Address of the Holy Father

Your Eminences and Excellencies,
Distinguished civil and military authorities,
Distinguished members of the Judicial Authority of Vatican City State,
dear brothers and sisters,

I am pleased to meet you today, for the first time, on the occasion of the opening of the Judicial Year of the Vatican City State Tribunal. To each of you I extend my cordial greetings, accompanied by my gratitude for the service you render in the delicate and valuable task of administering justice.

Your work, discreet and silent, contributes in a significant way to the correct functioning of the institutional framework of the State and, more deeply, to the credibility of the legal order that underpins it. Authentic justice, however, cannot be understood solely in the technical terms of positive law. In the light of the mission that guides the action of the Church, it also appears as the exercise of an ordered form of charity, capable of safeguarding and promoting communion.

In this first meeting of ours, I wish therefore to share some reflections with you on the relationship between the administration of justice and the value of unity.

The Christian tradition has always recognized in justice a fundamental virtue for the order of personal and community life. In this regard, Saint Augustine recalled that the order of society stems from the order of love, affirming that “ordinata dilectio est iustitia”.[1] When love is rightly ordered, when God is placed at the centre and the neighbour is recognized in his or her dignity, then the whole of personal and social life regains its proper orientation.

From this order of love also arises the order of justice. Authentic love, in fact, is never arbitrary or disordered, but recognises the truth of relationships and the dignity of every person. For this reason, justice is not merely a legal principle, but a virtue that helps to build communion and to stabilize the life of the community.

The theological and legal reflection of the Christian tradition has further developed this perspective. In particular, Saint Thomas, drawing on Roman law, defines justice as “constans et perpetua voluntas ius suum unicuique tribuendi”, that is, the constant and perpetual will to give to each person what is due to them.[2] With this definition, the Angelic Doctor highlights the stable and objective nature of justice, which does not depend on contingent interests, but is rooted in the truth of each person and in the pursuit of the common good. It is no coincidence that he also states that “iustitia ad bonum commune ordinatur”.[3]

In the light of this tradition, the profound connection between justice and charity can also be understood. Theological wisdom has expressed this relationship with the assertion that “caritas perfecta, perfecta iustitia est”,[4] because in the fullness of charity, justice finds is most authentic fulfilment. It follows that, where there is no true justice, there can be no authentic law either, since the law itself arises from the recognition of the truth of being and the dignity of every person.

Justice, thus conceived, is the cardinal virtue that calls us “to respect the rights of each and to establish in human relationships the harmony that promotes equity with regard to persons and to the common good”.[5] This recognition opens the way to charity, for only when relationships are ordered according to truth does that communion which is the highest fruit of love become possible. The restoration of justice thus becomes a condition for the advent of charity, which is a gift of the Spirit and the principle of unity in the Church. From this perspective, we also understand how love and truth cannot be separated: only by loving do we know the truth, and the love of truth leads us to discover charity as its fulfilment.

For this reason, justice, when it is exercised with balance and fidelity to the truth, becomes one of the most stable factors of unity within the community. It does not divide, but strengthens the bonds that unite people and helps to build the mutual trust that makes orderly coexistence possible.

In the context of Vatican City State, the task of administering justice takes on a particularly relevant meaning. The administration of justice is not, in fact, limited to the resolution of disputes, but contributes to the protection of the legal order and the credibility of institutions. The observance of procedural safeguards, the impartiality of the judge, the effectiveness of the right of defence and the reasonable duration of proceedings are not merely technical instruments of the judicial process. They constitute the conditions through which the exercise of the judicial function acquires particular authority and contributes to institutional stability.

In a legal system such as that of Vatican City State – which serves the mission of the Successor of Peter by safeguarding the independence of the Holy See, including in the international sphere (cf. Lateran Treaty, Preamble) – this function takes on even greater significance. The administration of justice, in fact, also contributes to the protection of the value of unity which constitutes an essential element of ecclesial life.

From this perspective, the trial is not merely the arena of conflict between opposing claims, but becomes an ordered space in which, through regulated dialogue between the parties and the impartial intervention of the judge, disagreement is brought back within a framework of truth and justice. In this light, it is worth recalling once again the teaching of Saint Augustine: “A republic cannot be administered without justice. Where, therefore, there is no true justice there can be no right. For that which is done by right is justly done, and what is unjustly done cannot be done by right. … There is no republic where there is no justice. Further, justice is that virtue which gives every one his due. Where, then, is the justice of man, when he deserts the true God?”[6]

Dear brothers and sisters, your service therefore takes on a value that is not only institutional, but profoundly ecclesial. Through the careful discerment of the facts, respectful listening to the people involved and the correct application of the rules to faithfully represent the principles of the legal system, you participate in a mission that is both legal and spiritual.

Justice in the Church is not merely a technical application of the law, but a ministry in the service of the People of God. It requires not only legal expertise, but also wisdom, balance and a constant search for truth in charity. Every decision, every trial and every judgement is called to reflect that search for truth which lies at the heart of the life of the Church. When justice is exercised with integrity and fidelity to the truth, it becomes a factor of stability and trust within society, fostering unity as a natural consequence. Continue, therefore, to carry out this service with integrity, prudence and an evangelical spirit. May justice always be enlightened by the truth and accompanied by mercy, for both find their fulfilment in Christ. Thus, the law, applied with rectitude and an ecclesial spirit, becomes a valuable instrument for building communion and strengthening the unity of the People of God.

I entrust your work to the intercession of the Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, so that she may accompany you with her protection. And I cordially impart to you the Apostolic Blessing, a pledge of communion and peace for you and for your service to justice, truth and unity. Thank you.

____________________________

[1] Cf. St. Augustine, De civitate Dei, XV, 22.

[2] Cf. Dig. 1.1.10; St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, II-II, q. 58, a. 1

[3] St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, II-II, q. 58, a. 5

[4] St. Augustine, De natura et gratia, 70, 84.

[5] Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1807.

[6] St. Augustine, De civitate Dei, XIX, 21 , 1.