Carrier in a Cause of Saints is the officially appointed person, traditionally called the portitor, entrusted with securely delivering a closed diocesan or eparchial inquiry to the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.
Appointment and object of the office
The bishop or episcopal delegate appoints the Carrier by decree. The Carrier's defined task is to hand over the acts of the diocesan or eparchial inquiry to the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints. Latin procedural sources call the office portitor; current official English uses Carrier. Neither title means postulator, courier by private arrangement, or Roman case advocate.[1]
The transmitted acts include the Transcript, Public Copy, examined published writings of the Servant of God, and the Theological Censors' opinions. Two authenticated translations accompany them when translation was required. Historical documents and writings may remain in their original language under the instruction's provisions.
Oath, secure delivery, and sealed instruments
At the closing session the Carrier swears to fulfill the office faithfully. The packages are sealed with the bishop's seal and external inscriptions identify their contents and attest secure definitive closure. A separate sealed envelope contains the bishop's letter to the prefect, possible observations by the Promoter of Justice and medical expert, and the instrument of closing.
Delivery must use a secure means, such as hand delivery or the Holy See's diplomatic pouch. The Carrier has custody, not authority to open, edit, summarize, or selectively transmit the record. A lost chain of custody can raise questions about juridical validity even when the underlying evidence appears persuasive.
The postulator may be Carrier
Sanctorum Mater permits the postulator or vice-postulator to serve as Carrier if duly appointed. The offices do not thereby merge: the same person has an interested representative's role in one capacity and a sworn transmission duty in the other. The appointment and oath make the capacity visible.
No evidentiary or decisional role
The Carrier does not authenticate testimony, decide which evidence matters, issue the Decree of Juridical Validity, prepare the Positio, or vote on virtues and miracles. Those tasks belong to notaries, diocesan officials, the Dicastery, relators, consultors, and ultimately the pope in their respective stages.[2]
Why a named office remains useful
Digital copying and professional shipping do not eliminate responsibility for complete, untampered transmission. A named sworn official connects the sealed local archive, the outgoing packages, and their Roman receipt. The office gives an accountable human link in a process where missing pages or an opened package can compromise years of inquiry.
Successful delivery ends the Carrier's immediate task but does not guarantee acceptance of the cause's merits. The Dicastery first examines whether the diocesan inquiry complied with law and can issue or withhold juridical validity. Secure transportation preserves the question for competent judgment; it does not answer that question.
References
- 1.Norms to Be Observed in Inquiries Made by Bishops in the Causes of Saints — The universal procedural norms for initiating, documenting, authenticating, closing, and transmitting a cause
- 2.Sanctorum Mater — The approved instruction for documentary and testimonial evidence, officials, copies, closure, and transmission of diocesan inquiries