Head of the Tribunal of the Patriarchal Penitentiary
The Patriarchal Penitentiary Major is the prelate who heads the Tribunal of the Patriarchal Penitentiary. The office combines judicial responsibility with care for matters of penance, indulgences, dispensations, and specified sacramental questions.
Under Roman-Ruthenian Canon Law, the Penitentiary Major must be a prelate in the clerical state, including one in Minor Orders or a tonsured cleric. If the holder is not already a Cardinal or Bishop, he is appointed a Canon of the Patriarchal Chapter. Deputies may hear matters and submit recommendations, but dispensations reserved to the Penitentiary Major may be granted only by him.
The title refers to an ecclesiastical office of mercy and canonical order. It is unrelated to the civil administration of prisons.