A tribunal is a court or forum with authority to adjudicate matters. Tribunal may refer to an administrative agency, trial court, or other officer or body.
In church governance, a tribunal is established in each diocese by the bishop to assist him in carrying out his responsibility as shepherd of the local Christian community which has been entrusted to him. As the judicial arm of the bishop, the diocesan tribunal cooperates in his ministry of furthering the supreme law of the Church--the salvation of souls.
