Receiving Bishops into Communion

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OrbisNonSufficit

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Alright, first I’d like to say that I hope I did not choose wrong category, but I am very unsure where does this belong.

When Catholic Church receives Orthodox Priests or Sedevacantist Priests, who are validly ordained, procedure is to receive them and let them retain their ministry. I imagine same is true for Deacons. Now, what about Bishops? What if Bishop decides to convert to Catholic Faith and retain communion with Holy See? If that Bishop is validly ordained, there is no need to confer any further ordination/consecration on him. However, problem is that role of Bishop is generally one that brings jurisdiction with itself. Would this Bishop be given Bishopric, or would he be made Assistant Bishop? Would he receive Parish and act as Priest? What is the common procedure for this… well, uncommon situation?
 
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I’m only guessing, but I think the way to answer your question would be to find out what was actually decided in cases where a bishop has converted. I know there have been cases of Catholic bishops switching to another church, usually so that they could get married, but the other way around I don’t think I’ve ever heard of.
 
I see, I will try to find such cases and make basis on them, though they are probably pretty rare themselves.
 
BartholomewB said:
I’m only guessing, but I think the way to answer your question would be to find out what was actually decided in cases where a bishop has converted. I know there have been cases of Catholic bishops switching to another church, usually so that they could get married, but the other way around I don’t think I’ve ever heard of.
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There was at least one:


There may be others, but this is the only case I know of.
 
Orthodox (lay as well as clergy) who become Catholics will be part of the Eastern Church closest to their Orthodox church, ie a Greek Orthodox will be part of the Greek Catholic Church.

The clergy would have some things to study like the Canon law of both the Eastern and Western Churches and other things that are typically “Catholic” depending upon the needs of the clergy and how they would serve in the future. There would be some, or a lot of, paperwork but their ordinations are 100% valid.

There must be Eastern Church parishes and dioceses around the world that are in need of a deacon, priest or bishop just as there are Western.
 
An Assyrian (Church of the East) bishop was received into full communion several years ago. He became a bishop within the Chaldean Catholic Church, but he wasn’t given his own diocese/eparchy. I believe he either serves as an auxiliary bishop or maybe even just as a parish pastor. His reception caused some bad blood with the Assyrian Church, so I think Rome kept him low profile. Maybe someone else can elaborate.
 
Thank you, @HomeschoolDad. A quick google search shows that Ferraz never became a diocesan bishop in the Catholic Church, but he served as an Auxiliary Bishop under the then Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro, Cardinal Jaime de Barros Câmara. He was appointed to that position in 1963, four years after being received into the Catholic Church, at which time he was already married and the father of seven children. Truly an amazing story!
 
BartholomewB said:
. I know there have been cases of Catholic bishops switching to another church, usually so that they could get married, but the other way around I don’t think I’ve ever heard of.
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For a long time, the Church has accepted Episcopal priests, even if married, and they remain married. Because whole Episcopal parishes and dioceses have joined the Catholic church, there is currently an Anglican Rite in the Western Church. The Anglican Ordinary is a former Episcopal bishop who is married. He cannot be ordained a bishop, because while priests can be married, bishops canot
 
vern_humphrey said:
He cannot be ordained a bishop, because while priests can be married, bishops canot
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And yet Salomão Barbosa Ferraz, the husband of a wife still living and the father of seven children (see above), was ordained (if that is the correct term in this case) an Auxiliary Bishop in 1963, under the pontificate of John XXIII. I wonder if that is a unique case.
 
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I would expect it is. Remember, celibacy is a rule, not a commandment. The Church can dispense with its rules when needed.
 
Many people are now expecting – some gleefully, others apprehensively – that we are about to see a significant change in the celibacy rule next month, as the outcome of the synod on the Church in the Amazon region of South America.
 
BartholomewB said:
Thank you, @HomeschoolDad. A quick google search shows that Ferraz never became a diocesan bishop in the Catholic Church, but he served as an Auxiliary Bishop under the then Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro, Cardinal Jaime de Barros Câmara. He was appointed to that position in 1963, four years after being received into the Catholic Church, at which time he was already married and the father of seven children. Truly an amazing story!
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I have to think that becoming a diocesan bishop would have been “going too far”, given his marriage and family. He is an obscure figure and that is probably by design.
 
HeDa said:
There must be Eastern Church parishes and dioceses around the world that are in need of a deacon, priest or bishop just as there are Western.
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While true, would Vatican really make someone Bishop of real Eparchy/Diocese just upon conversion? It would also require one of the Sees to be vacant, and such Bishop would become Bishop of new flock- not his old one. It is different than uniting particular Church under Bishop, with Rome.
HomeschoolDad said:
There was at least one:
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twf said:
An Assyrian (Church of the East) bishop was received into full communion several years ago. He became a bishop within the Chaldean Catholic Church, but he wasn’t given his own diocese/eparchy.
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irenaeuslyons said:
He received from Pope Pius XII the titular see of heracleopolis
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Yeah, based on those, it seems it is practice to give them titular sees and/or make them Auxiliary Bishops. That is actually rather clever. Thank you all, I got my answer now!

Funnily enough, I went through every “convert to Catholicism” on wikipedia who had “bishop” near them, and I probably missed those occasions you mentioned, because I could not find anything beside Eastern Orthodox uniting with Rome and managing their previous flocks as Eastern Catholics.
 
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OrbisNonSufficit said:
While true, would Vatican really make someone Bishop of real Eparchy/Diocese just upon conversion? It would also require one of the Sees to be vacant, and such Bishop would become Bishop of new flock- not his old one. It is different than uniting particular Church under Bishop, with Rome.
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I don’t think a deacon/priest/bishop convert would be assigned to lead a parish or diocese until some time (year? or years?) has passed. My guess is that their responsibilities will increase over time just as with lay converts not being elected to the parish or financial council the day after their conversion.
 
There are also married Latin Rite convert priests. They are not limited to the Anglican Rite. I personally know two of them. Wonderful priests.
 
HeDa said:
I don’t think a deacon/priest/bishop convert would be assigned to lead a parish or diocese until some time (year? or years?) has passed. My guess is that their responsibilities will increase over time just as with lay converts not being elected to the parish or financial council the day after their conversion.
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On the other hand, Saint Ambrose (the mentor of Saint Augustine) was still a pagan when he was chosen as a bishop.
 
Actually Anglicans who recently came over immediately got (tiny) parishes, in the Ordinariate. I believe the Anglican bishop who came over became Ordinary of the Ordinariate in North America right away.

My understanding is they are conditionally re ordained as RCC. The Ordinary is married, so has not been identifued as a bishop here. But he sits in the Conference of Bishops.
 
TheLittleLady said:
There are also married Latin Rite convert priests. They are not limited to the Anglican Rite. I personally know two of them. Wonderful priests.
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Were they priests in their former denomination? I am not familiar with this process, other than with Anglicans.
 
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