Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office 1860

S.C.S. Off. stands for Sacred Congregation Sanctum Officium and its characteristic mark seems to be the bestowal on special judges of judicial powers in matters of faith (source New Advent).  Its name was changed to Congregation of the Holy Office in 1908, and to Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 1965 (source vatican.va).

The instruction from the Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office, given on 19 December 1860, is described by Rev. Eugene Forbes in his 1948 dissertation.

Page 204 Forbes:
Where the secular authority recognizes the civil separation of consorts, it is allowed on certain conditions, that consorts sometimes petition the state for civil separation in order to obtain the civil effects of an ecclesiastical separation already obtained. It is now the common opinion of canonists and moral theologians that the consorts, for a grave reason, may seek a civil separation from the secular courts. The conditions under which the seeking of a civil separation (the so-called “separate maintenance”) is tolerated are set down in a response of the Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office.

1) there must be present just causes for the separation in the Judgment of the bishop;
2) there must be no other tribunal to which the Catholic can go to obtain a separation which would be recognized by the civil law;
3) the sentence of the civil tribunal must have no other effect than that of separation. (footnote 93)

Note 93: S.C.S. Off., 19 decembris 1860. The Holy Office refers to this  reply in its decree of April 3, 1877: “Ultrum liceat advacati et actoris partes agere, quando finis litis est simplex separation absque ulla sententia matrimonii nulitatem secum ipsa trahente? Responsum fuit : Provisum in praecedentibus, et feria IV, 19 decembris ejusdem anni : Dummodo pars catholica nullum aliud tribunal adire possit, a quo sententiam obtineat separationis quod thorum et mensam, et dummodo sententia hujus tribunalis nullum alium habeat effectum quam separationem praedictam, posse tolerari ut catholici in eo foro actoris et advacati partes agant, et dummodo adsint justae separationis causae judicio Episcopi; et si quid habeat praeterea dubii, recurrat exponens omnes circumstantias et legis dispositiones.” –Nouvelle revue théologique. v.18 (1886). [(Mary’s Advocates’ note) Open PDF with button above to see 1886 work citing the 1860 instruction] END FORBE’s QUOTE