Waiting for our ninth bishop: We are an Advent people

Intermountain Catholic

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The official crest of the Diocese of Salt Lake City, the design of which dates back to our first bishop, Bishop Lawrence Scanlan, shows a ship at sea guided by a star. When the diocese's ninth bishop is named and either ordained if he is not already a bishop or installed if he is, his episcopal coat of arms will be displayed along-side the diocesan crest. IC file graphic

SALT LAKE CITY — By the time this story is published, the Diocese of Salt Lake City will be 275 days without a bishop, roughly, nine-and-a-half months. Without delving too deeply into a pregnancy metaphor, it’s good to remember that we Catholics are an Advent people. We are accustomed to waiting – patient, prayerful waiting.

It’s important that we take this time to come to an understanding of what and who a bishop is, beyond the man who confirms our teenagers and oversees the workings of the diocese.

"The United States Catholic Catechism for Adults," a publication of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), explains the many roles of a bishop within the context of the apostolic character of the Catholic Church.

"The Church is built upon the foundation of the Apostles, who were chosen by Christ himself, and at whose head he placed Peter," the catechism tells us. "The entire community of Christians received the Apostles’ proclamation of the Gospel, so the Church in her entirety is called ‘apostolic.’ Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Church as a whole remains and will always remain faithful to the teaching of the Apostles."

The catechism goes on to explain that Christ willed that the Apostles be succeeded by the bishops and Peter by the bishops of Rome, the popes. "The Apostles acted together as a body, with Peter as their head, in their leadership of the Church. Thus they are called by the Church a ‘college,’ and their essential unity as one body is understood as the principle of collegiality."

The catechism points out that the principal roles of a bishop are threefold. His is first a priest, "and so is the principal celebrant of the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist, by which the Church grows in holiness and union with Christ." He is also the chief shepherd of the diocese, "and so is responsible for compassionate and loving governance of the people entrusted to him. Third, the bishop is the chief teacher of the diocese, "responsible for authentic proclamation of the Gospel."

Among the doctrinal statements cited by "The United States Catholic Catechism for Adults" is the following: "Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Apostles chose bishops to succeed them. Helped by the priests and deacons, the bishops teaches the faith; celebrate the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist, and guide the Church. Their responsibility includes concern for all the Churches in union with the pope."

In a document titled "Appointing Bishops," written by the Department of Communications of the USCCB (posted in its entirety on the Diocese of Salt Lake City’s web site at www.dioslc.org), we are reminded that, "the ultimate decision in appointing bishops rests with the pope, and he is free to select anyone he chooses."

But how does he make that important decision?

"The process for selecting candidates for the episcopacy (office of bishop) normally begins at the diocesan level and works its way through a series of consultations until it reaches Rome," the USCCB tells us. "It is a process bound by strict confidentiality and involves a number of important players – the most important being the apostolic nuncio (the pope’s representative to both the government and to the hierarchy of a given nation), the (Vatican) Congregation for Bishops, and the pope. It can be a time consuming process, often taking eight months or more to complete."

Thus, the nine-and-a-half months we’ve waited so far is not out of the ordinary.

Every bishop may submit to the archbishop of his province (in our case, Archbishop George Niederauer of San Francisco) the names of priests he thinks would make good bishops. "The archbishop distributes to all the bishops of the province the names and curricula vitae of priests which have been submitted to him. Following a discussion among the bishops at a province meeting, a vote is taken on which names to recommend... The vote tally, together with the minutes of the meeting, is then forwarded by the archbishop to the apostolic nuncio in Washington. The list is also submitted to the USCCB."

The papal nuncio, after receiving the list of candidates forwarded by a province, "conducts his own investigation into the suitability of the candidates."

His investigation includes gathering facts about each candidates and interpreting that information for the Congregation of Bishops. The USCCB points out that while "great weight is given to the nuncio’s recommendations... (that) does not mean that his recommendations are always followed."

In the meantime, a report from the current bishop or the administrator of a diocese (in our case, Diocesan Administrator Msgr. J. Terrence Fitzgerald), on the needs a conditions of the diocese. "If the appointment is a replacement for a diocesan bishop, or archbishop about to retire, consideration will be given to the incumbent’s recommendations," according to "Appointing Bishops," "Broad consultation within the diocese is encouraged with regard to the needs of the diocese, but not the names of the candidates."

People with whom the nuncio consults include: previous bishops of the diocese; bishops of the province; the president and vice president of the USCCB; and individuals in the diocese.

"At this point, the nuncio narrows his list and a (confidential) questionnaire is sent to two or three people who know each of the candidates for their input.

"All material is collected and reviewed by the nuncio, and a report (approximately 20 pages) is prepared. Three candidates are listed alphabetically... with the nuncio’s preference noted. All materials are then forwarded to the Congregation for Bishops in Rome," the USCCB writes. "On average, this part of the process may take two to six months."

It may seem frustrating to some who feel nine-and-a-half months is long enough to wait for a bishop. But, in reality, we have no indications where we are in the above process or whether the process has progressed further, meaning the paperwork and the nuncio’s recommendation are in the hands of the Congregation for Bishops, or even further, in the hands of Pope Benedict XVI.

While all of these investigations have been going on, offices of the Diocese of Salt Lake City have not been idle. Under the direction of Msgr. Fitzgerald plans are being made for the announcement of the name of our ninth bishop, his ordination or installation, and his welcome to his new home, the See of Salt Lake City.

In the next issue of the Intermountain Catholic, we will look at the plans being made to welcome our ninth bishop and follow the process from the papal nuncio’s recommendation to Pope Benedict XVI’s announcement of who that man will be.