Diocese and archdiocese

[billcu1]

I read in wikipedia that there is a significant difference in metropolitan diocese and suffragan sees. I am in a suffragan see within the Archdiocese of Baltimore so Archbishop Lori is the Archbishop. Does he have more authority than my bishop? A sufferagan bishop?

 

[phil19034]

I read in wikipedia that there is a significant difference in metropolitan diocese and suffragan sees. I am in a suffragan see within the Archdiocese of Baltimore so Archbishop Lori is the Archbishop. Does he have more authority than my bishop? A sufferagan bishop?

As far as you are concerned, no. The only time an Archdioceses has “authority” over a sufferagan dioceses is (a) when the sufferagan dioceses does not have a Bishop, or (b) when there is a tribunal appeal.

Usually the only time a lay person would have a tribunal appeal is if their local dioceses said no to an annulment. Then, it can be appealed to the Archdioceses.

Also, an Archbishop may act as “go to person” for a Bishop if he has quesitons or wants a 2nd opinion. The Bishop can then simply call the Archbishop of the Province instead of calling the Pope of the USCCB leadership.

 

[billcu1]

As far as you are concerned, no. The only time an Archdioceses has “authority” over a sufferagan dioceses is (a) when the sufferagan dioceses does not have a Bishop, or (b) when there is a tribunal appeal.

Usually the only time a lay person would have a tribunal appeal is if their local dioceses said no to an annulment. Then, it can be appealed to the Archdioceses.

Also, an Archbishop may act as “go to person” for a Bishop if he has quesitons or wants a 2nd opinion. The Bishop can then simply call the Archbishop of the Province instead of calling the Pope of the USCCB leadership.

My Bishop is the treasurer of the USCCB as of right now. Bransfield. I’ve never met him but I bet he’s something else. A tribunal appeal? I’ve never heard of that. I guess you learn something new all the time. We have a judical vicar too. Is he part of the tribunal? Btw I heard something about Cardinal Dolan leaving or something. Might you know something about that? I looked on their site and didn’t see anything. Maybe it’s a rumor.

 

[Aramis]

The ABp also is supposed to make it around to all the province’s parishes and report to the Pope.

Plus, should the province have reason to act as a group, their deliberations are lead by and their decisions promulgated by the ABp.

The ABp. has a number of specific supervisory duties over the suffragans, but they are of the “observe and report” rather than “Direct and control” version. A few do fall into the "may interfere in the suffragan diocese in specific narrow circumstances. The only one which comes to mind immediately is the vacancy or incapacity of the suffragan see (wherein the ABp appoints the Administrator until such time as a new bishop is appointed), but there are a handful of other tiny cases buried in the myriad layers of canon law.

Note that in the Eastern Churches, the Metropolitan Archbishop has more direct authority, but that has also to do with the metropolitan church being a functional level of governance. Within the Sui Juris Metropolia, the authority is somewhat higher still.

 

[phil19034]

My Bishop is the treasurer of the USCCB as of right now. Bransfield. I’ve never met him but I bet he’s something else. A tribunal appeal? I’ve never heard of that. I guess you learn something new all the time. We have a judical vicar too. Is he part of the tribunal? Btw I heard something about Cardinal Dolan leaving or something. Might you know something about that? I looked on their site and didn’t see anything. Maybe it’s a rumor.

This is from Wikipedia:

In the Roman Catholic Church, a judicial vicar (or officialis) is an officer of the diocese who has ordinary power to judge cases in the diocesan ecclesiastical court. Although the diocesan bishop can reserve certain cases to himself, the judicial vicar and the diocesan bishop are a single tribunal, which means that decisions of the judicial vicar cannot be appealed to the diocesan bishop but must instead be appealed to the appellate tribunal. The judicial vicar (or “officialis”) ought to be someone other than the vicar general, unless the smallness of the diocese or the limited number of cases suggest otherwise.[1] Other judges assist the judicial vicar either by deciding cases on a single judge basis or by forming with him a panel over which he or one of them presides. A judicial vicar may also be assisted by adjutant judicial vicars (or “vice-officiales”).

Judicial vicars, adjutants, and other judges who preside in cases must be priests of good repute, must be at least thirty years old, and must hold a doctorate or licentiate in canon law.[2]

Judicial vicars are to serve for a specific term of office[3] and, unlike vicars general and episcopal vicars, do not cease from office when the diocese is without a bishop,[4] either through the bishop’s death, resignation (having been accepted by the Roman Pontiff), transfer, or privation of office (having been made known to the bishop).

The Judicial Vicar is a priest who helps the Bishop in acting as a “judge.” The local Bishop cannot overrule the Judicial Vicar.

The appellate tribunal of a regular diocess is the tribunal of the Archdiocese.

In regards to Cardinal Dolan, he is no longer the leader of the USCCB. But he is still the Archbishop of New York.

God Bless!