Can we name a diocesan administrator?
From the Oct. 6 edition of The Lumen: Canon Corner
by Father David Esquiliano
Judicial Vicar Cathedral Parish pastor Can we name a diocesan administrator? On Jan. 16, 2004, it was announced that then Bishop Daniel DiNardo had been named Coadjutor Bishop of the Diocese of Galveston-Houston. He remained in our diocese until March 26 of the same year, when he moved to Texas to begin his new assignment. On March 30 the Diocesan College of consultors met and elected Msgr. Roger Augustine as diocesan administrator. He would remain in that role until Bishop Walker Nickless came to Sioux City in January 2006. Some of the faithful that lived through that transition have been wondering why we have not named a diocesan administrator months after Bishop Nickless submitted his resignation. To answer this question, I will explain what a diocesan administrator is, which will help us understand why none has been named or elected. The first thing we need to understand is who is responsible for a diocese. Canon 369 defines a diocese as “a portion of the people of God which is entrusted to a bishop for him to shepherd.” As we can see, a bishop is in charge of a diocese as a general rule. Occasionally, though, a diocese loses its bishop. Canon 416 reads, “An episcopal see is vacant upon the death of a diocesan bishop, resignation accepted by the Roman Pontiff, transfer, or privation made known to the bishop.” In those cases, there is no diocesan bishop to run shepherd the diocese, so that responsibility falls on someone else. Canon 419 states who is in charge when a diocese becomes vacant, “When a see is vacant and until the designation of a diocesan administrator, the governance of a diocese devolves upon the auxiliary bishop or, if there are several, upon the one who is senior in promotion. If there is no auxiliary bishop, however, it devolves upon the college of consultors unless the Holy See has provided otherwise.” Notice there is an expectation that a diocesan administrator will oversee the diocese until a new bishop is named. In the interim there is a hierarchical list of who will be responsible to manage the diocese, starting with an auxiliary bishop, or when there is none, the college of consultors has the responsibility. In some cases, The Holy See names an administrator when a diocese becomes vacant. So, if a diocesan administrator is to govern the diocese, how is he elected? I previously addressed the lengthy process to name a new bishop in Canon Corner, but the process to name an administrator is different. Canon 421 §1 states, “The college of consultors must elect a diocesan administrator, namely the one who is to govern the diocese temporarily, within eight days from receiving notice of the vacancy of an episcopal see.” The college of consultors is a group of at least six priests appointed by the bishop to assist him in the governance of the diocese. They only have eight days to elect a priest to take on the role of diocesan administrator. Canon 425 lists the requirements for a priest to be elected; he is to be at least 35 years old, and outstanding in doctrine and prudence. There are other rules that establish who elects the administrator if the college of consultors does not do so within the allotted time, but most of the time the college of consultors is able to elect an administrator. Now that we know when a diocesan administrator is needed, we can understand why none has been named for our diocese. As we saw in Canon 416, vacancy of a diocese occurs when the diocesan bishop dies, his resignation is accepted, or he is transferred to a diocese. In 2004, Bishop DiNardo was transferred to a different diocese, so the see became vacant. Now, even though Bishop Nickless has submitted his resignation, the Holy Father has not accepted it, therefore the diocese is not vacant. His resignation will most likely be accepted only until a new bishop is named. At that point the diocese will become vacant, because as I explained in my last column, the new bishop will have a couple of months to take possession of the diocese. What normally occurs in those cases is that the outgoing bishop is named administrator until the new bishop takes possession, so we could expect that to happen. If that were not the case, the college of consultors would be required to elect one. If you have any questions about the episcopal transition, or anything related to church law, please send it at esquilianod@scdiocese.org When will we get a new bishop? (From the Sept. 1 edition) It has been now a couple months since Bishop Walker Nickless submitted his resignation to the Holy Father after having reached his 75th birthday. At the time of writing, he is still shepherding our diocese, which begs the question, if he already resigned, when will we get a new bishop? This question can be approached from two different angles, the first one is if we have a date, or at least can get an idea, when the pope will accept Bishop’s Nickless’ resignation and appoint a new bishop. To this I would have to say that we do not have a date. We believe it will take about a year and a half based on what we recently have seen in other dioceses. But we have also seen shorter waiting times; as short as four months. So, if this is our approach, the answer is that we do not know when we will get a new bishop. The second approach would be if we know how long it will take for the new bishop to start his ministry once he is chosen by the Holy Father. That one we can answer. As you may remember, there is a process that began even before Bishop Nickless submitted his resignation. At the end of this process the Holy Father will choose a man from among a list that will keep getting shorter and shorter, until there are only three names in it. That person may be a priest, or even a bishop. Based on whether he has already been elevated to the episcopal dignity or not, he will have either two or four months to take possession of the diocese. Canon 382 §2 reads, “Unless he is prevented by a legitimate impediment, one promoted to the office of diocesan bishop must take canonical possession of his diocese within four months of receipt of the apostolic letter if he has not already been consecrated a bishop; if he has already been consecrated, within two months from receipt of this letter.” If our future shepherd is already a bishop, for example an auxiliary bishop or the bishop from another diocese, he will have two months to take possession of the diocese. Paragraph three of canon 382 §3 states, “A bishop takes canonical possession of a diocese when he personally or through a proxy has shown the apostolic letter in the same diocese to the college of consultors in the presence of the chancellor of the curia, who records the event.” That usually happens at a Mass of installation. From the time of appointment until he takes possession of the diocese he will be known as Bishop Designate. If the pope selects a priest who is not a bishop yet, he will need more time so that he can first become a bishop; until then he will be known as Bishop Elect. He will have four months to start his ministry in our diocese, but he will most likely do it within three months. Canon 379 reads, “Unless he is prevented by a legitimate impediment, whoever has been promoted to the episcopacy must receive episcopal consecration within three months from the receipt of the apostolic letter and before he takes possession of his office.” In theory he could become a bishop and then still have up to another month to take possession of the diocese. That rarely happens, though. In most cases the priest is ordained a bishop and takes possession of the diocese at the same Mass. When Bishop Nickless was appointed to the Sioux City Diocese, he was not a bishop yet. He was appointed on Nov. 10, 2005, when he was vicar general of the Archdiocese of Denver and Pastor of Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Lakewood Colorado. On Jan. 20, 2006, just slightly over two months after the announcement, he was ordained bishop and took possession of the diocese. We do not know when the announcement will come, nor do we know if the pope will select someone who is already a bishop, but we know what should be doing while we wait; keep praying for Bishop Nickless, for our future bishop, and for those involved in the process, especially Pope Francis. Comentario del Padre David Esquiliano 9-1 Han pasado ya un par de meses desde que el obispo Walker Nickless presentó su renuncia al Santo Padre después de haber cumplido sus 75 años. Al momento de que él escribió la carta, él todavía se encontraba pastoreando nuestra diócesis, lo que nos hace plantearnos la siguiente pregunta, si ya renunció, ¿cuándo tiempo más tendremos que esperar por un nuevo obispo? Esta pregunta puede ser abordada desde dos ángulos diferentes, el primero es, si tenemos una fecha, o al menos podemos tener una idea, de ¿cuándo el Papa aceptará la renuncia del obispo Nickless? o de ¿cuándo, al menos nombrará un nuevo obispo? Con respecto a esto tendría que decir que no tenemos fecha. Nosotros pensamos que va a llegar a tomar alrededor de un año y medio según lo que hemos visto, y lo que ha sucedido recientemente en otras diócesis. Pero también hemos visto que los tiempos de espera han sido más cortos; tan cortos como cuatro meses. Entonces, si este es nuestro punto de enfoque, la respuesta inmediata es que no sabemos cuándo obtendremos un nuevo obispo. El segundo enfoque sería, si sabemos cuánto tiempo le pudiese llegar a tomará al nuevo obispo iniciar su ministerio, una vez que sea elegido por el Santo Padre. A esta pregunta podemos responder. Como recordarán, hay un proceso que inició incluso antes de que el obispo Nickless presentara su renuncia. Al final de este proceso, el Santo Padre elegirá a un hombre de una lista que se irá haciendo cada vez más corta, hasta que solamente queden tres nombres. Esa persona podría ser un sacerdote, o incluso un obispo. Según haya sido elevado o no a la dignidad episcopal, él tendrá de dos a cuatro meses para poder tomar posesión de la diócesis. El canon 382 §2 se lee de la siguiente manera: “A menos que se le imposibilite por algún impedimento legítimo, el promovido al oficio de obispo diocesano debe tomar posesión canónica de su diócesis dentro de los cuatro meses siguientes a la recepción de la carta apostólica si este todavia no ha sido ya consagrado obispo; si el promovido ya ha sido consagrado, tiene que tomar posesión dentro de los dos meses siguientes a la recepción de esta carta.” Si en el dado caso que nuestro futuro pastor ya fuese obispo, por ejemplo, un obispo auxiliar o el obispo de otra diócesis, tendrá dos meses para tomar posesión de la diócesis. El canon 382 §3, en el párrafo tercero, dice: “Un obispo toma posesión canónica de una diócesis cuando, personalmente o por apoderado, ha mostrado la carta apostólica en la misma diócesis al colegio de consultores en presencia del canciller de la curia, quien registra el evento.” Eso suele suceder en una Misa de Envestidura. Desde el momento de su nombramiento hasta que tome posesión de la diócesis se le conocerá como Obispo Designado. Si el Papa elige a un sacerdote que aún no es obispo, este necesitará más tiempo para que pueda convertirse primero en obispo; hasta entonces se le conocerá como Obispo Electo. El tendrá cuatro meses para comenzar su ministerio en nuestra diócesis, pero lo más probable es que lo logre hacer en un período de tres meses. El canon 379 se lee de la siguiente manera: “A menos que se le imposibilite por algún impedimento legítimo, quien haya sido promovido al episcopado debe recibir la consagración episcopal dentro de los tres meses siguientes a la recepción de la carta apostólica y antes de tomar posesión de su oficio.” En teoría, este podría convertirse en obispo y luego aún tener hasta un mes más para tomar posesión de la diócesis. Sin embargo, eso rara vez suele suceder. En la mayoría de los casos, el sacerdote es ordenado obispo y toma posesión de la diócesis en la misma Misa. Cuando el obispo Nickless fue designado para la diócesis de Sioux City, él aún no era obispo. Él fue nombrado el 10 de noviembre de 2005, cuando era vicario general de la Arquidiócesis de Denver y párroco de la parroquia de Nuestra Señora de Fátima en Lakewood, Colorado. El 20 de enero de 2006, poco más de dos meses después del anuncio, fue ordenado obispo y tomó posesión de la diócesis. No sabemos cuándo llegará el anuncio, ni sabemos si el Papa seleccionará a alguien que ya es obispo, pero sabemos lo que debemos de hacer mientras esperamos; continuemos orando por el obispo Nickless, por nuestro futuro Obispo y por todos los involucrados en el proceso, especialmente el del Papa Francisco. |
By canon law, Bishop Nickless was required to send his resignation to the Holy Father when he reached his 75th birthday (May 28). Left, he signs his resignation letter in his office prior to mailing to Rome. The bishop does not anticipate it will be accepted for many months. Read the articles below for more information about the process.
Prayer for Bishops
Consider praying on Thursdays, the day of the institution of the priesthood: The faithful of the Diocese of Sioux City are invited to join together in prayer during this time of transition of leadership in the diocese: * in thanksgiving for Bishop Nickless and his love of Christ and the people of the diocese * for Bishop Nickless's peaceful retirement * for the inspiration of the Holy Spirit as Pope Francis and the Dicastery for Bishops discern the selection of the best man to serve as our next bishop * for our next bishop and the future of the Diocese of Sioux City Let us pray... Heavenly Father, eternal Shepherd of the faithful, who tend your flock in countless ways and watch over us in love, we come to you with hearts filled with gratitude for providing us with a true shepherd after Christ's own heart, our beloved Bishop Walker Nickless. We give thanks for the gift of his episcopal ministry, for his wise leadership, for his integrity and faithfulness, for his steadfast care and solicitude and for all the spiritual blessings that we and so many others have received through our Bishop's generous self-giving service throughout these 16 years. We ask that you continue to bless him as he has generously blessed us with his love and service. As we await your will for the future of our diocese, we renew our faith and trust in your loving providence, confident that you will once again bless us with a shepherd who will inspire us to commit ourselves to living and bearing witness to the Gospel. Draw us ever closer to you, O Lord, that your light may shine and radiate from us as a beacon of faith, hope and love for the world. Together, may we always glorify you and open our hearts to embrace your holy will. We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen. La Diócesis de Sioux City invita a toda la feligresía a unirse en oración durante este tiempo de transición de liderazgo en la diócesis: En acción de gracias por el obispo Nickless y su amor por Cristo y la gente de la diócesis Por la apacible jubilación del obispo Nickless Por la inspiración del Espíritu Santo mientras el Papa Francisco y la Congregación para los Obispos disciernen la selección del mejor hombre para servir como nuestro próximo obispo Por nuestro próximo obispo y el futuro de la Diócesis de Sioux City. Oremos: Padre Celestial, eterno Pastor de los fieles, que cuidas tu rebaño de innumerables maneras y nos cuidas con amor, venimos a ti con corazones llenos de gratitud por brindarnos un verdadero pastor según el corazón de Cristo, nuestro amado obispo Walker Nickless. Damos gracias por el don de su ministerio episcopal, por su sabia dirección, por su integridad y fidelidad, por su constante cuidado y solicitud y por todas las bendiciones espirituales que nosotros y muchos más hemos recibido a través del generoso servicio de entrega de nuestro Obispo a lo largo de estos 16 años. Te pedimos que lo sigas bendiciendo como él nos ha bendecido generosamente con su amor y servicio. Mientras esperamos tu voluntad para el futuro de nuestra diócesis, renovamos nuestra fe y confianza en tu amorosa providencia, seguros de que una vez más nos bendecirás con un pastor que nos inspirará a comprometernos a vivir y dar testimonio del Evangelio. Acércanos cada vez más a ti, oh Señor, para que tu luz brille e irradie en nosotros como un faro de fe, esperanza y amor para el mundo. Que juntos podamos siempre glorificarte y abrir nuestros corazones para abrazar tu santa voluntad. Te lo pedimos por Cristo Nuestro Señor. Amén.
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