Diocesan Administrator

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Typically, how long after a bishop is moved from one diocese to another (as in Bishop Perez being named Arch Bishop of Philly) will it be until an administrator is named? Is the administrator always another bishop? Just curious as we wait and wondering why they have not mentioned anything in Cleveland. Possibly we have to be without a bishop before an administrator may be mentioned?
 
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Thanks… both of our auxiliary bishops are retired, so I doubt they would name one of them. 2 years ago they names Bishop Thomas from Toledo the administrator.

So it sounds like from the article that the “college of consultors” will pick someone within 8 days OR it sounds like the Pope can name an apostolic administrator (is there a difference in function)?
 
I looked at the Code of Canon Law referenced in the article (Book II, Part II, Section II, Chapter III, Art. 2, #416-430, The Vacant See), and it doesn’t mention how long apostolic administrator appointments take. It does mention that Judicial Vicars may step in.
 
Well, I guess we will just have to be patient and find out. I’m not good at the patient part. 😦 It just seems like if they can name who is replacing Arch Bishop Chaput, they could at least let us know who will administer our diocese while we wait for our permanent (or at least more permanent than Bishop Perez… I really like him and wanted to see him be here a while) Ordinary.
 
Can. 421 §1. The college of consultors must elect a diocesan administrator, namely the one who is to govern the diocese temporarily, within eight days from receiving notice of the vacancy of an episcopal see and without prejudice to the prescript of can. 502, §3.
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So the College of Consultors (basically the bishop’s senior advisors) have eight days to clect (choose) someone. the clock starts ticking from the day Archbishop Perez was installed in Philly.
§2. If a diocesan administrator has not been elected legitimately within the prescribed time for whatever cause, his designation devolves upon the metropolitan, and if the metropolitan church itself is vacant or both the metropolitan and the suffragan churches are vacant, it devolves upon the suffragan bishop senior in promotion.
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If eight days have passed and the consultors haven’t’ made a decision then the Metropolitan (basically the Archbishop of the ecclesiastical province, in this case, Cincinnati) is required to step in and can choose pretty much whoever he wants (almost - see Can. 425) and doesn’t have to ask the consultors for their view.

There is no role for the Judicial Vicar or Vicar General - before an administrator is appointed, the diocese is administered by the Consultors.
 
flintlock said:
Typically, how long after a bishop is moved from one diocese to another (as in Bishop Perez being named Arch Bishop of Philly) will it be until an administrator is named? Is the administrator always another bishop? Just curious as we wait and wondering why they have not mentioned anything in Cleveland. Possibly we have to be without a bishop before an administrator may be mentioned?
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The diocese has a college of consultors (6-12 priests serving for five years). They have to meet to elect within eight days of a vacant see to elect a diocesan administrator. (This case is when there is no co-adjustor.) But the Pope can appoint an apostolic administrator before that occurs. See CIC Can. 421.

http://www.vatican.va/archive/cod-i...N_II._PARTICULAR_CHURCHES_AND_THEIR_GROUPINGS

Example of Diocese of Ji-Paraná (Brazil)
  • Bishop Bruno Pedron (2007.04.11 – 2019.06.05)
  • Msgr. José Celestino dos Santos, Diocesan Administrator
Example of Archdiocese of Indiana (USA)
  • Archbishop Daniel Buechlein (1992.07.14 – 2011.09.21)
  • Bishop Christopher Coyne, Apostolic Administrator (2011.09.21 – 2012.10.18)
  • Archbishop Tobin (2012.10.18 – 2016.11.07)
 
flintlock said:
2 years ago they names Bishop Thomas from Toledo the administrator.

So it sounds like from the article that the “college of consultors” will pick someone within 8 days OR it sounds like the Pope can name an apostolic administrator (is there a difference in function)?
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The Pope, if he wants, names an apostolic administrator. He would do this at the same time as he announces the bishop’s transfer. In that case, the local clergy don’t have to do anything to provide for temporary governance once the bishop leaves office. The Pope’s pick will take over when the time If the pope doesn’t name an apostolic administrator, then the local clergy have to pick a diocesan administrator. Practically, we wouldn’t see a difference in what each can/would do but if there is some particular need, the pope can give the apost. admin. “special faculties.”

If a neighboring bishop was your previous administrator, the pope made that happen.

Dan
 
Isn’t the Vicar General (who is a priest) also an ordinary for the diocese? I thought I read someplace that was the case, but I’m not certain.

What is interesting is there are ordinations for the priesthood coming up in the spring. I guess that would just be handled by who is named as the administrator. What is that is a priest though? I thought ordinations always have to be a bishop, or can a priest be named as an extraordinary for the ordination?

Sorry for all the questions, but this is actually quite fascinating in how it all works.
 
InThePew said:
There is no role for the Judicial Vicar or Vicar General - before an administrator is appointed, the diocese is administered by the Consultors.
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In the context of choosing an administrator, these vicars have no special role. There is no vicar general (when there is no bishop).

But, to make sure there is no confusion among the readership, the judicial vicar (and the rest of the tribunal) continue along in their roles even when there is no bishop.

Dan
 
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flintlock said:
Isn’t the Vicar General (who is a priest) also an ordinary for the diocese?
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Yes, he is called a “local ordinary” but when there is no bishop there is no vicar general (technically, at least). I will make this point clearer in my previous post.
flintlock said:
What is interesting is there are ordinations for the priesthood coming up in the spring. I guess that would just be handled by who is named as the administrator. What is that is a priest though? I thought ordinations always have to be a bishop, or can a priest be named as an extraordinary for the ordination?
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Only a bishop would ordain. If candidates are approved for ordination (by the administrator and college of consultors), then a bishop would have to be shipped in to do the ordaining.

Dan
 
Okay, I understand now (on the vicar general). So that position ceases to exist in the vacancy.

You say a bishop would need to be “shipped” in. Would one of the retired bishops do the ordination for the priests? I know they have Bishop Gries as well as Bishop Amos there. Also there is our Bishop Emeritus Pilla.
 
We had this situation in my diocese a few years ago. The College of Consultors elected a monsignor to be the Diocesan Administrator.

We did have ordinations during this period and a bishop from another diocese came in to do those.

Two interesting things: a Diocesan Administrator cannot appoint a priest to be pastor of a parish, but can only name a priest as a Parish Administrator. This allows the new bishop to make changes in assignments if he wants to when he arrives.

Also, when issuing decrees of nullity, the document lists the See of x diocese as vacant.

I imagine some other legal documents produced by the Diocese during that period also said the same thing.
 
flintlock said:
Typically, how long after a bishop is moved from one diocese to another (as in Bishop Perez being named Arch Bishop of Philly) will it be until an administrator is named?
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The college of consultors must choose an administrator within 8 days. If not they lose the right.

If they lose the right because they didn’t elect an administrator within 8 days the metropolitan is free to appoint one.
flintlock said:
Is the administrator always another bishop?
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No, it can be a priest.

In the recent past the election of a diocesan administrator has not happened oftern here in England & Wales. Rather than a diocesan administrator being elected by the college of consultors the pope can appoint an apostolic administrator. That has happened a lot here recently. Very often the pope has appointed the retiring bishop, if he’s retiring rather than having been translated to another see.
flintlock said:
Possibly we have to be without a bishop before an administrator may be mentioned?
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If you have an auxiliary bishop he would automatically take on the role of administrator pro tempore until the college of consultors elects one, the metropolitan appoints one because they didn’t do so in the required timescale, or until the pope appoints an apostolic administrator.
 
Okay, so if I understand everyone correctly, the college of consultors (Local diocese) will appoint one within 8 days, if they do not, then the metropolitan does (I’m assuming that would be the arch diocese we belong to) and that can take up to X days, and the Pope could also appoint one at any point too. Wow… lots of cooks in the kitchen.
 
Note that the 8 days start when the see officially becomes vacant, which is when he is installed in the new place. Since that happened yesterday, you should know within a week who the administrator is in Cleveland.

Also, it isn’t always another bishop. In my old diocese, the priest who had been vicar general was elected as administrator and served in that role for over a year until a new bishop was ordained and installed.
 
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