Pope Francis has designated a Catholic priest hailing from the Diocese of Scranton, Pennsylvania, to a prominent role in the Vatican’s highest court.
As per the announcement from the Holy See Press Office on March 5th, Monsignor Shane L. Kirby has been appointed as the substitute promoter of justice of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura.
Established in the 15th century, the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura stands as one of the Holy See’s three courts, akin to a Supreme Court, handling appeals from the other two tribunals. The pope holds the position of the Holy See’s supreme judge.
Since 2017, Kirby has been stationed in Rome, serving in an official capacity within the Dicastery for the Clergy. Originally from Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, Kirby transitioned from the Pentecostal tradition during high school and was ordained as a priest for the Diocese of Scranton in 2004.
At 50 years old, the monsignor possesses a licentiate in patristic theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University and a licentiate in canon law from the Catholic University of America in Washington.
Heading the Supreme Tribunal presently is Cardinal Dominique Mamberti, who assumed the role in 2015 after Cardinal Raymond Burke’s six-year tenure as prefect of the court.
Other key figures within the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura include Secretary Bishop Andrea Ripa from Rimini, Italy; Promoter of Justice Monsignor Pawel Malecha from Poznan, Poland; and Defender of the Bond Father Nikolaus Schoch, OFM, from Innsbruck, Austria, alongside the court’s cardinal members and bishops.
Kirby steps into the shoes of German Father Matthias Ambros, aged 44, who served as the substitute promoter of justice since January 2023 and recently secured a position as the undersecretary for the Vatican’s Dicastery for Culture and Education.
The announcement of Kirby’s appointment coincides with Pope Francis’ issuance of a new motu proprio, Munus Tribunalis, amending the law of the Supreme Tribunal initially set forth by Pope Benedict XVI in 2008 to align with the language articulated in the constitution governing the Roman Curia, Praedicate Evangelium, released by Pope Francis in 2021.
This adapted story was first published by the Catholic News Agency.