What you always wanted to know about bishops in the church

by Mary Tarver

Did you ever wonder: Why do we have bishops? What do they do? How does a bishop get chosen and appointed? Is there anything I can do to help someone become a bishop? With this article I hope to outline some answers to these questions from the Canon Law of the Church.

First, bishops are the successors of the Apostles; we state our belief in an apostolic Church in the Nicene Creed at every Sunday Mass. Every bishop who has been consecrated can trace his lineage back to one of the twelve Apostles. It's easiest, of course for the popes, since each pope succeeds St. Peter, who was the first Bishop of Rome. But even each diocesan bishop can trace his line, including Bishop Zipfel. Every bishop has to be consecrated by another bishop, and new bishops today have several others at the ceremony. In fact, the Code of Canon Law states that today there should be at least three bishops consecrating the new one.

Every three years, the bishops within a province make up a confidential list of priests in that province whom they think would make good bishops. The list is sent to the Pope's legate (ambassador) in that country. The legate conducts an investigation of the proposed men: he talks to bishops in the area, and to members of the college of consultors to get their opinions, and he may even talk to priests and laity about their ideas of the qualifications of the priests. This is especially done when a certain priest is being proposed for a certain diocese. All of this information is then collated and sent to the Holy See in Rome. A turna of three priests is presented to the Holy Father, who can select one or send the whole turna back. Once a papal nomination is rendered, the legate then informs the priest of his appointment and gives him a very short time to pray about the matter before making his decision. Once the priest has accepted the appointment, the province is informed and the media may also be informed at that time. Finally, the priest has three months to be consecrated bishop after he receives the apostolic letter from the pope. No priest can be consecrated bishop without that letter! During the consecration ceremony the new bishop makes the profession of faith and takes the oath of fidelity to the Holy See, and only then does he take canonical possession of the diocese.

A new bishop receives the threefold functions of sanctifying, teaching and governing. However, he has to exercise these in hierarchical communion with the Pope and the College of Bishops. So, there are two "moments" for a bishop. The first is the consecration itself, where he receives these functions sacramentally. The second is when he receives the appointment for a specific diocese where he will use those functions in communion with the rest of the Church. Practically speaking, these two moments converge at the consecration ceremony. However, a priest will not be nominated for Episcopal consecration without at the same time receiving the appointment for a specific geographic area.

So, where does the laity come into play in this process? We can make our desires known to the bishop. If we think that a priest we know has the qualifications for the episcopacy, we have a right and duty to state our case. But, what are the qualifications? According to canon 378, a candidate must be: outstanding in solid faith, good morals, piety, zeal for souls, wisdom, prudence, and human virtues, and endowed with other qualifies which make him suitable to fulfill the office in question; of good reputation; at least 35 years old; ordained as priest for at least 5 years; and finally, he must possess a doctorate or licentiate in sacred scripture, theology or canon law, or at least be truly expert in one of those disciplines.

In addition, he is to be qualified to fulfill the three-fold functions

mentioned earlier. As a "Sanctifier," he is to show his people an example of holiness in charity, humility and simplicity of life. He is to promote the holiness of life of all his people and to help them understand and live the paschal mystery of Christ. As "Teacher," the Bishop is the Chief Shepherd of his diocese. He explains to his flock the truths of the faith and makes sure that all of Christian doctrine is handed on through catechesis and homilies. He firmly protects the integrity and unity of the Faith. As "Governor," the Bishop shepherds his diocese with the legislative, executive, and judicial powers. While he usually delegates the executive and judicial powers to others who help him in his work, only the bishop can personally make laws for the diocese. Even there, though, he has some restraints - he cannot make laws that go against higher ecclesiastical laws. For example, the Code of Canon Law states that the minimum age for marriage is 16 for a man and 14 for a woman throughout the Church; an individual bishop cannot make a law that states that in his diocese the minimum ages are to be 14 and 12.

What else does a bishop do? He is to foster vocations to the different states of life: religious, married, single. He is to take special care of his priests, whether through admonishment or encouragement. He is to ensure that works of mercy are carried out in the diocese and to exhort people to help in these different works. He is to visit the parishes throughout the diocese at least every five years and to travel to the Holy See in Rome once every five years to give a report on the state of his diocese.

This is a lot for one man to do, which is why he has a staff to assist him in his apostolic ministry. Please pray today for our bishops... as well as for those yet tobe chosen!

courtesy of Dakota Catholic Action