Titular bishop

A titular bishop is a bishop of the Roman Catholic Church who is not the head of a functioning diocese (Code of Canon Law, Canon 376). Bishops belonging to this category include coadjutor bishops, auxiliary bishops, retired bishops, Cardinal Bishops of suburbicarian dioceses, vicars apostolic, nuncios, and some officials of the Roman Curia.

Related Topics:
Bishop - Roman Catholic Church - Diocese - Coadjutor bishop - Auxiliary bishop - Cardinal Bishop - Suburbicarian diocese - Vicars apostolic - Nuncio - Roman Curia

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Most titular bishops hold the title to a titular see. Assigning titular sees serves two purposes. Since part of being a bishop means being the head of a church, titular sees serve that purpose for bishops without a diocese. At the same time, the office of titular bishop memorializes ancient churches that fell into the hands of non-Christian conquerers, formerly in partibus infidelium, or that were absorbed into other dioceses. Prior to 1970, all titular bishops, with the exception of suburbicarian Cardinal Bishops, held a titular see.

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Since 1970, there are two more exceptions. Retired diocesan bishops are no longer transfered to a titular see. Instead, they take the title Bishop Emeritus of the former see. Also, coadjutors are no longer named to titular sees, instead taking the title Coadjutor Bishop of the see they will inherit. Auxiliary bishops and all other titular bishops still take a titular see.

Related Topics:
Emeritus - Coadjutor

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Here are two examples to illustrate the difference. When Bishop Francis Green http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bgreenf.html was named coadjutor of Tucson, Arizona in 1960, his official title remained "Titular Bishop of Serra" until he succeeded the Bishop of Tucson later that same year. However, when Bishop Gerald Kicanas http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bkicanas.html became Coadjutor Bishop of Tuscon in 2001, he ceased being Titular Bishop of Bela. He still remained a titular bishop until he succeeded the Bishop of Tuscon in 2003, but his official title changed from "Titular Bishop of Bela" to "Coadjutor Bishop of Tuscon."

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Cardinal Bishops of suburbicarian dioceses are also titular bishops, but they hold titles to existing dioceses. Suburbicarian cardinals hold the title to their suburbicarian see, but while they do not govern their see they are obliged to give it their patronage. Angelo Cardinal Sodano is Titular Bishop of Albano http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bsodano.html, while Bishop Marcello Vallini is its actual diocesan bishop http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bsemeraro.html.

Related Topics:
Angelo Cardinal Sodano - Albano

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Occasionally, the transfer of a diocesan bishop to a titular see has been used by the Holy See to strip of his responsibilities a bishop whose behavior it disapproved of. For instance, in 1995, Jacques Gaillot, known for his activism on Catholic-sensitive social and political topics (pro-contraception, abortion, etc...), was transferred from the see of Évreux in France to Partenia, a titular see in Algeria.

Related Topics:
Holy See - 1995 - Jacques Gaillot - See - Évreux - France - Algeria

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