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How a Bishop
is Chosen As the people of the Diocese of La Crosse learned that their bishop had been appointed Archbishop of Saint Louis, many wondered how a new bishop would be chosen. Who chooses a new bishop? This page was prepared to answer that question for people of many Dioceses who face the same situation.
The answer to the question "Who chooses a new bishop?" is "The Holy Spirit." Christ has not abandoned his church, and continues to guide and govern her through the Holy Spirit. However, the Holy Spirit uses human beings to accomplish this. Another correct answer is, "the Pope." While it is true that the Pope can appoint any Catholic priest to be a bishop, the actual process usually involves many people.
The process consists of two parts: identifying priests with the necessary qualities, and selecting the one who best fills a specific vacancy. "We try to find the saint who fits the niche," explained Archbishop Pio Laghi, who served as apostolic delegate to the United States from 1980 to 1990.
Identifying the right priests The process of identifying priests with the qualities desired in a bishop is an ongoing process, even if there are no vacancies. The bishops of a province (the Catholic Church in the United States is divided into 33 provinces) give their archbishop the names of priests they think would make good bishops. The Catholic Church in the United States is divided into 33 provinces. The Diocese of La Crosse belongs to the Milwaukee Province. Our archbishop is Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of Milwaukee. The candidates passed on by a bishop are usually from his current diocese or from one where he has served, since these are the priests he knows best.
The qualities of a bishop The church is very explicit about the qualities that must be present in a candidate to the episcopacy. He must be "a good pastor of souls and teacher of the Faith." The church examines whether the candidates "enjoy a good reputation; whether they are of irreproachable morality; whether they are endowed with right judgment and prudence; whether they are even-tempered and of stable character; whether they firmly hold the orthodox Faith; whether they are devoted to the Apostolic See and faithful to the magisterium of the church; whether they have a thorough knowledge of dogmatic and moral theology and canon law; whether they are outstanding for their piety, their spirit of sacrifice and their pastoral zeal; whether they have an aptitude for governing." Consideration is also be given to "intellectual qualities, studies completed, social sense, spirit of dialogue and cooperation, openness to the signs of the times, praise-worthy impartiality, family background, health, age and inherited characteristics."
The provincial list Periodically, the bishops of a province meet under the chairmanship of their archbishop to consider the names of priests who are possible candidates for the episcopacy. At the provincial meeting, a list of candidates for the episcopacy is assembled, voted on and forwarded to the apostolic nuncio.
While the nuncio could nominate for bishop someone not from this pool of candidates, and the pope could appoint any priest he wanted, most appointments come from these lists.
When a diocese becomes vacant, the second part of the process gets underway – the search for the specific person who will fill a specific vacancy.
The apostolic nuncio A nuncio represents the Holy Father to both a nation's civil government (as ambassador) and the Catholic Church in that nation. The Most Rev. Gabriel Montalvo, originally from Colombia and formerly rector of the Vatican's diplomatic school has been the apostolic nuncio to the United States since 1998. When vacancies occur in U.S. dioceses and a diocesan ordinary is being chosen (as opposed to an auxiliary bishop), the nuncio chooses several candidates to suggest to Rome from among the names which have been submitted. The nuncio's recommendations to Rome are based on his own extensive investigation of the needs of the diocese and each candidate's suitability for that particular diocese. For example, the Diocese of La Crosse has much rural territory. Our Bishops have championed the needs of family farmers and have demonstrated strong support of Catholic Schools..
During his investigation the nuncio sends a confidential questionnaire on the candidate to people who know him. The questions address the physical, intellectual, moral, spiritual, social, and priestly characteristics that one would hope for in a bishop.
Those questioned include priests, religious and laity. Some are suggested by the priest's diocesan bishop, others are diocesan officials or people the nuncio has gotten to know personally. The laity consulted tend to be officers in diocesan lay organizations or on diocesan advisory committees. Each is told to answer the questions without consulting others. They cannot tell anyone, especially the candidate, that they have received the questionnaire.
Nuncio's Report After the nuncio has examined the responses to the questionnaires, he prepares the "terna," a list of three candidates, and writes a report extracting and synthesizing the content of the consultation and giving his own judgment. The terna and the report are sent to the Congregation for Bishops in Rome, and no bishop sees them unless he is a member of that congregation. The report gives a description of the diocese, describes the process the nuncio went through in selecting the candidates, describes the candidates and gives the nuncio's recommendations.
Congregation for Bishops When the nuncio's report arrives at the Congregation for Bishops, the members discuss the appointment under the chairmanship of the prefect. The congregation then votes on the candidates and attaches its own recommendations to the report.
The Pope The final step in the appointment process occurs when the prefect of the Congregation for Bishops presents the nuncio's, the congregation's, and his own recommendations to the pope in a private audience. The prefect summarizes the discussions of the congregation and reports any dissenting opinions. The pope may ask for more information about the candidates, or may even ask for other candidates to be proposed. In the end however, the pope, led by the Holy Spirit, makes the appointment.
Notification and consent After the pope makes his decision, the nuncio is notified, who then approaches the nominee and asks if he will accept the appointment. When the candidate accepts, Rome is notified and a date is set for the announcement.
Although the process normally takes four to eight months, it can be much shorter or much longer. And so the Diocese of La Crosse waited patiently for more than a year while the Holy Spirit leads the church to the best bishop possible – the "saint who fits the niche."
May the Holy Spirit be active in the process of selecting new bishops. May they be men of deep faith, integrity, fidelity and compassion. Let's pray daily!
In the mean time. When a Bishop is transferred he continues to function as Diocesan Administrator. He will continue to fulfill the responsibilities of Diocesan Bishop but with care not to introduce any innovation or to prejudice any aspect of the governance of the Diocese for his successor, in accord with Canons 427 and 428. With the announcement those appointed by the Bishop cease to be Vicar General and Episcopal Vicar. They will however, continue to assist the Bishop in the governance of the Diocese and especially in his care for the presbyterate of the Diocese.
It is no longer possible for the Bishop to make any major new decisions for the Diocese, for example, regarding the status of parishes or buildings and remodeling projects. Decisions already made and directives already given, of course, remain in force.
After the Bishop has moved and has been installed in his new Diocese or Archdiocese, the College of Consultors will assume the administration of the Diocese until it is able to elect a diocesan administrator (Canons 419 and 421). Upon election, the diocesan administrator will assume the administration of the Diocese until a new bishop is installed or takes possession of the Diocese (Canon 430). The Presbyteral Council will lapse until the Ninth Bishop of La Crosse reconvenes it (Canon 501).
Until his installation in his new Diocese the Bishop is mentioned in the usual way during the Eucharistic Prayer of Mass. After his installation on though, the prayer for the Diocesan Bishop will be suppressed in the Eucharistic Prayer, until the new Bishop is appointed.
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