Diocesan Administrator

[acanonlawyer]

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,

This is the procedure but it is extremely unusual (at least in the USA) for the diocesan college of consultors to drop the ball and not elect an administrator. I’ve never heard of it happening.

the Pope could also appoint one at any point too

The pope can do whatever he wants, so to speak, but if he didn’t appoint an apostolic administrator at the time he decided to move the bishop out, he wouldn’t do it later. At least, again, I’ve never heard of that happening.

Dan

 

[TomH1]

I don’t know for sure but I imagine in a lot of cases it is all decided behind closed doors before the changes do happen. For example, the pope knows when a bishop is being translated to another see or is retiring. Presumably he indicates to the diocese if he intends to appoint an apostolic administrator so they know he will be doing this and they won’t have to elect a diocesan administrator.

 

[acanonlawyer]

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.

Yes, it has happened more often here in the USA, too. Not always, certainly, but more than it used to happen.

Dan

 

[TomH1]

Yes, it has happened more often here in the USA, too. Not always, certainly, but more than it used to happen.

Is it mainly the retiring bishop that is being appointed? That’s the trend I see here.

 

[Glennon_P]

Is it mainly the retiring bishop that is being appointed? That’s the trend I see here.

That’s what has happened the last two times in my diocese - the new bishop was appointed; on the same day, the retiring bishop was named apostolic administrator until the new bishop was installed.

Different situation in Cleveland, since the bishop did not retire but was moved to another See.

 

[flintlock]

We have an administrator!

https://www.dioceseofcleveland.org/news/2020/02/19/the-college-of-consultors-of-the-catholic-diocese-of-cleveland-elects-reverend-donald-p-oleksiak-to-govern-as-diocesan-administrator-until-a-new-bishop-is-appointed-by-pope-francis

 

[acanonlawyer]

Is it mainly the retiring bishop that is being appointed? That’s the trend I see here.

I haven’t paid close enough attention to say if that is the trend here or not. That has happened but then there are times when a neighboring bishop was named apostolic administrator.

Dan

 

[flintlock]

In the article it says this is the first time in the 173 year history of the diocese that Cleveland has had a diocesan administrator.

 

[dochawk]

. “Shipped in” was not really the most canonically precise term I could have used.

A relief to those of us in landlocked states, where he would have to be flown or driven in :crazy_face:

 

[Cor_ad_Cor]

A relief to those of us in landlocked states, where he would have to be flown or driven in :crazy_face:

That’s where we in Indiana have you other mid-continent folks outsmarted. We have a naval base here in the Midwest just for those times we need to be concerned with sea-faring matters.

 

[hcruz402]

The diocesan administrator doesn’t necessarily have to be another bishop. My diocese had a situation, where our (now previous) bishop was reassigned to another diocese, and, in the interim, our diocesan administrator was a priest (my parish priest, at that). Thankfully, we have a new bishop, now (He was both ordained to the order of bishops and installed, all at the same Mass, but at the time he was appointed as the bishop of my diocese, he was only a priest (Really, he was a Monsignor)).

Pray for whoever will be the bishop of your diocese/archdiocese, and pray for the Pope, that he will appoint a new bishop soon.