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A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) is a bishop in the
Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
,
Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of t ...
, and (historically)
Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism. Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or " canonical ...
churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese. The coadjutor (literally, "co-assister" in Latin) is a bishop himself, although he is also appointed as
vicar general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop ...
. The coadjutor bishop is, however, given authority beyond that ordinarily given to the vicar general, making him co-head of the diocese in all but ceremonial precedence. In modern times, the coadjutor automatically succeeds the diocesan bishop upon the latter's retirement, removal, or death.


Catholic Church

In the
Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...
, a coadjutor is a bishop with papal appointment as an immediate collaborator of the diocesan bishop in the governance of a diocese, with authority to substitute for the diocesan bishop in his absence and right to automatic succession to the diocesan see upon death, resignation, or transfer of the incumbent diocesan bishop. The diocesan bishop ''must'' appoint the coadjutor as
vicar general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop ...
and ''must'' "entrust to him before others" acts that require a special mandate. The coadjutor holds the title of "Coadjutor" of the see, and the coadjutor of an archdiocese has status as an archbishop. In recent years, the Vatican has stopped the former practice of assigning
titular see A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular metropolitan" (highest rank), "titular archbi ...
s to coadjutors of dioceses. Some ''sui juris''
Eastern Catholic Churches The Eastern Catholic Churches or Oriental Catholic Churches, also called the Eastern-Rite Catholic Churches, Eastern Rite Catholicism, or simply the Eastern Churches, are 23 Eastern Christian autonomous ('' sui iuris'') particular churches of ...
also appoint coadjutors, but the manner of choosing them follows the norm of the particular law of each church for election or appointment of its bishops. Thus, the patriarchal or major archiepiscopal synods of the larger ''sui juris'' ritual churches typically elect coadjutors, with papal assent, while the pope typically appoints coadjutors in the smaller ''sui juris'' ritual churches personally. The coadjutor of an eparchy, archieparchy, or
metropolis A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big c ...
has the respective status of an eparch, archieparch, or metropolitan. Particular churches that are not dioceses also may have coadjutors. Perhaps one of the more widely known examples is the appointment of
Fernando Arêas Rifan Fernando Arêas Rifan (born 25 October 1950) is a bishop of the Roman Catholic Church from Campos, Brazil. Since December 2002 he has been the Apostolic Administrator of the Personal Apostolic Administration of Saint John Mary Vianney, also kno ...
as Coadjutor of the
Personal Apostolic Administration of Saint John Mary Vianney The Personal Apostolic Administration of Saint John Mary Vianney ( la, Administratio Apostolica Personalis Sancti Ioannis Mariae Vianney) was established on 18 January 2002 by Pope John Paul II for traditionalist Catholic clergy and laity wit ...
in 2002, less than a year after the reconciliation of the former Priestly Union of Saint John Mary Vianney formed this particular church. In modern church practice, the normal reason for appointment of a coadjutor is to begin an orderly transition with declining health or expected retirement of a diocesan bishop. For example, Bishop
Dennis Marion Schnurr Dennis Marion Schnurr (born June 21, 1948) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who has served as the archbishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati in Ohio since 2009. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Duluth in Minnesota from ...
of the Diocese of Duluth,
Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over t ...
, was named Coadjutor Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati,
Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...
, in 2008 to succeed aging Archbishop
Daniel Edward Pilarczyk Daniel Edward Pilarczyk (August 12, 1934 – March 22, 2020) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Archbishop of Cincinnati from 1982 to 2009. Early life and education Dan ...
. However, other situations do arise—a coadjutor may have authority to override the diocesan bishop with respect to a matter of public scandal, mismanagement, or other some problem that does not warrant removal from office. The 1917 edition of the Code of Canon Law distinguished between coadjutor bishops ''cum jure succesionis'' ("with the right of succession") and those without, so coadjutors were sometimes appointed without such a right, usually as archbishops in particularly large dioceses who also held other important posts and to honor certain auxiliary bishops. For an example of a coadjutor without right of succession, see John J. Maguire, coadjutor archbishop of New York (1965-1980). The revised Code of Canon Law stipulates that all coadjutors have right of succession, while providing for the appointment of an auxiliary bishop "with special faculties" in lieu of a coadjutor when automatic succession is not indicated.


Anglican Communion

In some provinces of the
Anglican Communion The Anglican Communion is the third largest Christian communion after the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Founded in 1867 in London, the communion has more than 85 million members within the Church of England and other ...
, a bishop coadjutor (the form usually used) is a bishop elected or appointed to follow the current diocesan bishop upon the incumbent's death or retirement. For example, in the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, when a diocesan bishop announces the intent to retire he may call for a special diocesan convention to elect a coadjutor with whom he will serve jointly for a period of time. At the death or retirement of the diocesan, the coadjutor becomes the diocesan bishop. Bishops coadjutor are also appointed in the
Reformed Episcopal Church The Reformed Episcopal Church (REC) is an Anglican church of evangelical Episcopalian heritage. It was founded in 1873 in New York City by George David Cummins, a former bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church. The REC is a founding member of ...
. The role of "assistant bishop" (with no expectation to succeed the diocesan see) in the
Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Brit ...
is fulfilled by a
suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdiction ...
. There have been bishops coadjutor in the Anglican Church of Australia without the right of succession to the diocesan see.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coadjutor Bishop Bishops by type Catholic ecclesiastical titles Ecclesiastical titles Episcopacy in the Catholic Church Anglican episcopal offices