In the Latin Church, there are certain serious sins that are deemed “crimes against the faith” which only the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (once upon a time known as the Holy Office of the Inquisition) is competent to judge and absolve (aside from the Pope of Rome himself, whose authority they exercise). These include such acts as the attempted ordination of women, molestation of minors by clergy, and deliberate desecration of Our Lord’s body and blood - among others. My question is, as it currently stands, if any of these acts occured in an Eastern Catholic Church sui iuris, would they also be forwarded to the CDF? Would it depend on the church? Perhaps a patriarch could deal with these sorts of issues, but a metropolitan couldn’t?
No sins are reserved in the Latin code. There are serious sins that are crimes though, and they have canonical penalties, including excommunication. Some excommunications,
latae sententiae, are reserved to the Holy See for various crimes.
Eastern Catholic churches do not have
latae sententiae, rather they have reserved sins, and some of those are reserved to the Apostolic See (Holy See), which could mean the Apostolic Penitentiary, see Pastor Bonus 117-120, or the eparch (for procuring a completed abortion).
vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_constitutions/documents/hf_jp-ii_apc_19880628_pastor-bonus-index_en.html
There are three reserved sins in the canons, but others may be reserved with agreement of the Synod:
CCEO 728
- Absolution from the following sins is reserved to the Apostolic See:
(1) direct violation of the sacramental seal;
(2) absolution of an accomplice in a sin against chastity.
- It is reserved to the eparchial bishop to absolve from the sin of procuring a completed abortion.
Pastor Bonus
Apostolic Penitentiary
Art. 117 — The competence of the Apostolic Penitentiary regards the internal forum and indulgences.
Art. 118 — For the internal forum, whether sacramental or non-sacramental, it grants absolutions, dispensations, commutations, validations, condonations, and other favours.
Art. 119 — The Apostolic Penitentiary sees to it that in the patriarchal basilicas of Rome there be a sufficient number of penitentiaries supplied with the appropriate faculties.
Art. 120 — This dicastery is charged with the granting and use of indulgences, without prejudice to the right of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to review what concerns dogmatic teaching about them.
