Greeting a Bishop

[hudson]

What is the proper way to greet a Bishop. I attend Church at the Cathedral of our Diocese and the Bishop has been there a couple times since I returned. I had read that you should genuflect and kiss his ring? He will be at Mass in two weeks, so I would like to know what is appropriate.

 

[JReducation]

What is the proper way to greet a Bishop. I attend Church at the Cathedral of our Diocese and the Bishop has been there a couple times since I returned. I had read that you should genuflect and kiss his ring? He will be at Mass in two weeks, so I would like to know what is appropriate.

You can either shake his hand or you can bend over and kiss his ring. Genuflecting is not expected when in a crowd, because it slows things down. If you’re in a crowd, the bishop will want to keep moving from person to person. He will appreciate it if you keep the greeting simple and brief.

All you have to do is say “Your Excellency” and kiss the ring. If you want to say more, you can say, “I’m happy to meet you, Bishop.” You’ll have to judge, depending on the size of the group. Also, some bishops do not like it. Ask someone who knows him, if he likes the kissing of the ring.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[hudson]

Bend over? As in a bow at the waist? Thanks for clarifying.

 

[JReducation]

Bend over? As in a bow at the waist? Thanks for clarifying.

He’s going to extend his hand to shake yours. You then bend down to the hand and kiss the ring. You never raise the hand to your lips. That’s reserved for a man kissing the hand of a lady.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[hudson]

Thanks. Since I know no one at the Parish I may try and watch others to see how they approach him first.

 

[corsair]

The couple of times that I have had to greet a Bishop, I gave a profound bow, and kissed the ring. It is a respect for the “office”.

Seems to me that if the Bishop doesn’t like the formality perhaps he shouldn’t be a Bishop.

I know several military officers that absolutely hate to be saluted, however, that doesn’t excuse them from saluting. It comes with the territory.

 

[FraterAndre]

Protocol calls for Genuflection of the left knee in kissing his ring. It also calls for the address of “His Exellency”. I always use the third person when speaking to him (“I suggest that His Excelleny…”). But if the bishop does express his intentions for more cordial and less formal approach, the “third person” rule could be foregone.

 

[JReducation]

Protocol calls for Genuflection of the left knee in kissing his ring. It also calls for the address of “His Exellency”. I always use the third person when speaking to him (“I suggest that His Excelleny…”). But if the bishop does express his intentions for more cordial and less formal approach, the “third person” rule could be foregone.

That’s not the protocol used in the USA or at the Vatican. It was simplified over the years. I remember when that was the custom. I believe that it was Pope John Paul who simplified it. He started the shaking of hands and shying away from the kissing of the ring over 20-years ago.

In the USA we have reached a middle ground. We kiss, but we don’t genuflect. There is no rule against it. It’s simply not the current custom.

I was very surprised when a delegation of religious men were received in a private audience with Pope Benedict and he pullled his hand back when someone went to kiss the ring. I knew that Pope John Paul had done the same. He would grab your hand in both of his hands making is difficult for you to kiss the ring, because his left hand was over his right, with your hand sandwiched in between. It was his way of showing affection. Pope Benedict does the same thing. Before you can kiss his hand, he has your hand between both of his.

I’m not sure what the hand movement is, because it’s very quick, but it does not give you a chance to kiss or genuflect. In any case, it’s a very warm greeting.

Most American bishops follow a cordial greeting. I don’t know if I would say warm, because not all of them are. Some are more formal.

My local bishop tenses when you kiss his ring. He does not pull his hand away, but he moves away from you very quickly, so that you have to let go. You can tell that he’s not comfortable with it. Yet, he’s a very warm and loving priest and a very good administrator.

You have to go with the local custom.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[FraterAndre]

That’s not the protocol used in the USA or at the Vatican. It was simplified over the years. I remember when that was the custom. I believe that it was Pope John Paul who simplified it. He started the shaking of hands and shying away from the kissing of the ring over 20-years ago.

In the USA we have reached a middle ground. We kiss, but we don’t genuflect. There is no rule against it. It’s simply not the current custom.

Here in the Philippines, it’s the case with most of our bishops.

 

[JReducation]

Here in the Philippines, it’s the case with most of our bishops.

Many many years ago, when I was in high school, my father befriended one of your bishops, Bishop Felix Zafra. He was the most simple man and holy man that I ever met. If he’s not deceased he must be close to 100 years old. He was such a nice man. Even my Jewish mother kissed his ring.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[FraterAndre]

Bishop Felix Zafra died last August 2002 (God rest his soul, ecce sacerdos magnus). He was the bishop-emeritus of the Diocese of Tagbilaran in Visayas region, RP. He is a very cordial man, full of jokes and anecdotes to share. He’s the only bishop that I knew that greeted me with a high-five.

 

[JReducation]

Bishop Felix Zafra died last August 2002 (God rest his soul, ecce sacerdos magnus). He was the bishop-emeritus of the Diocese of Tagbilaran in Visayas region, RP. He is a very cordial man, full of jokes and anecdotes to share. He’s the only bishop that I knew that greeted me with a high-five.

I’m so sorry to hear that he passed. I believe the high five. He was very cordial and very informal. We were living in Dipolog when we knew him. Then we had to come home. He and my father continued their friendship until my father died in 1993.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[FraterAndre]

I’m so sorry to hear that he passed. I believe the high five. He was very cordial and very informal. We were living in Dipolog when we knew him. Then we had to come home. He and my father continued their friendship until my father died in 1993.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

I promise your prayers for your father, brother. We had this bishop in our country who like to be treated in accordance to the protocol I stated above. He will correct me if I kissed his ring kneeling on the right knee and will insist that I call him His Excellency. He’s an SSPX Bishop, (the late) Bishop Salvador Lazo.

 

[Joannm]

I see our bishop quite often and I just say “Hi Bishop” and he says “hi” back. After Mass he stands in the back and just shakes everyone’s hand and perhaps engages in a word or two. The only people I have ever seen kiss his ring in the 10 years I have known him are a small group of Polish nuns.

 

[gatewood1988]

I know our bishop here in Tulsa was kind of surprised I called him Exellency. He smile widely at me though lol. I didn’t get to kiss his ring, but I guess a handshake was good enough for him and the fact my husband made him laugh during his Rite of Election didn’t hurt either I suppose

 

[thequeen]

Well we have an auxillary Bishop for our pastor now and he is so laid back when I see him he calls out my name and i call out hey there bishop whats up? If I have my dog with me he will pet my dog He loves dogs so I guess it all depends on the Bishop but the correct formal address is your excellency.

 

[Evan]

We had a retired bishop at our parish. He acted as an assistant to the Pastor and would offer mass when the Pastor was unavailable. He did not go out of his way to let anyone know he was a bishop.

He told my dad, he always preferred the title ‘Father’ since the day he was ordained. It made him feel closer to the people he ministered to.

 

[blanc10]

Before I really got into Catholicism, I went to a priest’s funeral and I was sitting in the back of the church talking to people and met the bishop. He said “Sorry for your loss” and all I said was “Thanks, nice to meet you” he seemed perfectly okay with that.

 

[JReducation]

We have to avoid trying to be “more Catholic than the pope”. Respect is certainly the right thing to do. However, respect is for the person and his office. If we focus on the office and ignore the person, then we’re acting contrary to charity.

In the USA, we have two high profile friars who are bishops: Archbishop Chales Chaput and Cardinal Sean O’Malley. I don’t think that either man has ever said anything to the people of their dioceses or to their religious community, but their appearance says it all.

The Cardinal wears his habit even when he visits the pope. He is not the only one. There is a Carmelite and a Dominican who also wear their habits. They want to be treated and acknowledged as religious. Cardinal Sean’s greeting to the people of Boston was, “The Lord has sent you a different kind of bishop.” His priests and seminarians see him very much as the Brother or the Friar.

Archbishop Chaput goes for the middle of the road. He wears a business suit and Roman collar. Priests, deacons, religious brothers and many seminarians all wear the same suit and the same Roman collar. The Roman collar does not set him apart from his Franciscan brothers, from the secular clergy, the permanent deacons or the religious brothers. Cardinal George, who is an Oblate, does the same thing.

When we (brothers) are with the Cardinal or the Archbishop, we don’t kiss their rings and we refer to them by their names: Charlie and Sean. It would make them uncomfortable to have the men who are their brothers act differently toward them. It does not mean that the friars don’t love them and respect them. Part of respect is also kindness for the person.

If the bishop is very formal, kindness dictates that you be formal. If the bishop is less formal and simply likes a handshake, kindness dictates that you respond that way. We don’t make someone uncomfortable, because they occupy an office.

There is a cute story about Pope Benedict and the camera. He did not have much experience before the cameras. Shortly into his pontificate, some TV station was going to film him. The story goes that he became slightly nervous and asked the cameraman for guidance on how to stand and what to do in front of the camera. The point is, these are human beings. They find some things more comfortable than other things.

The right thing to do is whatever communicates respect and affection without making him feel uncomfortable.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[dixieagle]

Sensible and useful information, as always, Brother.

My husband and I spent some of last Saturday with Francis Cardinal George at a performance at a conference in Chicago. We had some time to chat, and I bowed slightly, and referred to him as " Your Eminence", of course. He was a humble, very pleasant man and we were honored to meet him. (At the end of the evening when we were saying our goodbyes, my husband thanked him for his strong stand for the unborn, and he seemed a little surprised, though pleased. Maybe he doesn’t hear that often…)