The appointment (and removal) of bishops throughout the world primarily by the Pope (with the advice of his nuncio and a congregation at the Vatican) is fairly new in Church history. Throughout the Middle Ages and into the early modern era, when the Pope, and the Church generally, fought against the power of monarchs and nobles to appoin…
The appointment (and removal) of bishops throughout the world primarily by the Pope (with the advice of his nuncio and a congregation at the Vatican) is fairly new in Church history. Throughout the Middle Ages and into the early modern era, when the Pope, and the Church generally, fought against the power of monarchs and nobles to appoint the bishops, the idea was not that the Pope would appoint the bishops. Instead, the Popes were defending the right of some local ecclesial group (e.g., the canons of the cathedral, monks of a monastery, or the like) to propose a bishop. Most bishop candidates would then have to receive the approval of the metropolitan archbishops, or perhaps a council of bishops. An archepiscopal candidate would have to receive the approval of the Pope, a process that is still reflected when the new archbishops receive their pallium from the Pope on June 29 of each year. With more involvement of the laity now, we could go back to a similar approach. In every diocese there could be a council of clergy and a council of laity, chosen by the clergy and faithful (i.e. believing and Mass going laity) who could recommend episcopal candidates, who would then get the approval of the Vatican.
The appointment (and removal) of bishops throughout the world primarily by the Pope (with the advice of his nuncio and a congregation at the Vatican) is fairly new in Church history. Throughout the Middle Ages and into the early modern era, when the Pope, and the Church generally, fought against the power of monarchs and nobles to appoint the bishops, the idea was not that the Pope would appoint the bishops. Instead, the Popes were defending the right of some local ecclesial group (e.g., the canons of the cathedral, monks of a monastery, or the like) to propose a bishop. Most bishop candidates would then have to receive the approval of the metropolitan archbishops, or perhaps a council of bishops. An archepiscopal candidate would have to receive the approval of the Pope, a process that is still reflected when the new archbishops receive their pallium from the Pope on June 29 of each year. With more involvement of the laity now, we could go back to a similar approach. In every diocese there could be a council of clergy and a council of laity, chosen by the clergy and faithful (i.e. believing and Mass going laity) who could recommend episcopal candidates, who would then get the approval of the Vatican.