Topic: What is the nature of bishops and why is the Pope a bishop?
Date originally posted: November 23, 2002
Source of this posting: Moderator response to emailed question
Moderator who originally posted this source: Father Phillip
Question:
I visited the website of the Archdiocese of Boston( www.rcab.org),
I was looking at the Cathedral website, and I looked at the biographical information
of the the Bishops and the Cardinal listed on the website. It said that Bishops
were ordained, now I know at least in my Church bishops are consecrated and
I thought that Roman Bishops were consecrated as well but I sent an email to
the webmaster, Deacon Charlie Cornell, and he said that bishops were in fact
ordained not consecrated. Could you clarify this please.Also, why is the Pope
refered to as the Bishop of Rome? Is Rome just a regular diocese or is it an
archdiocese so that the Pope would be refered to as the Archbishop of Rome?
He is a metropolitian and the Patriarch of the West so why then just a Bishop
and not an Archbishop?
Answer:
Thank you, Bill,
for your questions.
For many years the rite or ceremony by which Bishops were 'made' to be Bishops
was, in fact, called "consecration." But when the Roman Pontifical
-- which is the official resource, book, guide -- was revised in response to
the decrees of the Second Vatican Council, the language of "consecration"
for Bishops was no longer used.
The Council called the Church to look back to its sources and origins. The revisions
to the Liturgy -- not just the Liturgy by which Bishops are 'made' but all the
Liturgies of the Church -- were largely governed by renewed appreciation of
the most ancient sources and by a deeper understanding of the theological and
spiritual 'underpinnings' of the Liturgy.
Out of that context, then, the Church realized that fidelity to the ancient
theological concept of a three-fold ordained ministry -- that is, Deacon, Presbyter/Priest,
and Bishop -- suggested that "consecration" with relation to the 'making'
of a Bishop was inopportune.
"Consecration" is a sacred act by which a person or thing is "set
aside" for particular work, function, or status. But "consecration"
does not change the 'ontological' reality of the thing or person.
Ordination, however, does change the 'ontological' reality of the person ordained.
That person's very being is changed by the laying-on of hands and the invocation
of the Holy Spirit.
The Catholic Church has always believed that in a Bishop we find the fullness
of the priesthood. Since the Presbyters/Priests are "collaborators"
with the Bishop, the ontological change in the Bishop's ordination provides
that "fullness" which is only found, according to Catholic doctrine,
in the Bishop.
This theological understanding augurs in favor of recovering the word "ordination"
for the rite in which is a Bishop is 'made.'
In addition, "ordination" for Bishops is consonant with the language
the Church uses for the 'making' of a Deacon, and for the 'making of a Presbyter/Priest.
This consistency is important, I believe, to make the three-fold nature of ordained
ministry clearer and more obvious.
Your other questions about the Pope are related to the foregoing, especially
with regard to the three-fold nature of ordained ministry in the Church.
The Catholic Church from New Testament times has seen ordained ministry as being
comprised of only three orders: Deacon, Priest/Presbyter, Bishop.
But the Church has, also, felt 'comfortable' recognizing honorific "sub-divisions"
within those three essential orders. But these "sub-divisions" in
no way supercede or impede, for that matter, the fundamental three-fold nature
of ordained ministry.
Within the order of Deacons, for example, the Church has admitted so-called
Archdeacons. But an "Arch"deacon has no more authority or standing
than a Deacon. The "Arch"deacon is simply a Deacon who has received
an honorific title.
With the order of Presbyters the Church has offered honorific titles, such as
Monsignor, Canon, Archpriest, or Protonotary Apostolic. But even with these
honorary titles, they are still members of the Order of Presbyters, and the
honorary title confers no "extra or more" Sacramental authority on
the Priest/Presbyter who bears the honorific title.
Within the Order of Bishops, an Archbishop or Metropolitan or even a Patriarch
is still a Bishop. An Archbishop's Sacramental authority derives from being
a Bishop. The "Arch" in an Archbishop's title simply refers to being
the Bishop of an important, historical, or large diocese. Sometimes a Bishop
is granted the personal privilege of being an "Arch"bishop because
of his stature. For example, in the last century, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen
was given this privilege although he was Bishop of a Diocese rather than of
an Archdiocese.
The Pope is the Pope by virtue of being Bishop of Rome. For centuries and centuries
Roman Catholics have seen God's plan and desire in acknowledging the primacy
of the Diocese of Rome among all the Bishoprics in the world. The primacy of
the Diocese of Rome derives, first of all, from God's will, but also from the
historical importance of the City of Rome and from the fact that we believe
the Christian community in the City of Rome was founded by two Apostles, Saint
Peter and Saint Paul. In a sense, then, I guess you could say that being Bishop
of Rome is the "highest" and most important office that any Bishop
could ever hold -- so why would a Bishop 'need' to be called an Archbishop or
Patriarch or anything else?!?
Nevertheless, the Roman Catholic Church has, at least since the time of Constantine
the Great (c. A.D. 330), recognized that the Bishop of Rome is the Patriarch
of the West -- in a way that is similar to the Bishop of Constantinople being
the Partriarch of the East. The Bishop of Rome is also the Archbishop-Metropolitan
of the Province of Rome and the Primate of Italy. So, these other titles can
most legitimately be used to refer to the Pope.
In the end, though, for Catholics, what is important is that he is the Bishop
of Rome.
Hope this helps, and thank you for visiting www.CatholicQandA.org.
Blessings,
Father Phillip