B
Brendan_64
Guest
Yes it is. And the bishop does not have total authority over everything a priest does.Legality is not the point.
As an example a bishop is not permitted to prevent a priest from celebrating an EF Mass because the priest now has the right under Church law to celebrate it. The priest does not have to seek permission from his bishop in order to exercise this right. If a bishop does not wish a priest in his diocese to celebrate the EF Mass, the priest does not have to follow the wishes of his bishop on this matter. The same applies to other areas where a priest has rights that are independent of the wishes of his bishop. The priest is not being disobedient because the bishop does not have the right to order a priest from exercising what are his rights under Church law.
The bishop too has a duty to respect the such rights granted to priests under Church law. The bishop has no authority over the priest with regards to such rights, as these rights are not granted through the office of bishop.