Bishops' Conference (Roman Catholic)

A bishops' conference of the Roman Catholic Church is, according to cann. 447–459 CIC the permanent association of the bishops of a nation or a specific area.

Bishops' conferences are mostly composed on a national level (like the German Bishops' Conference or the Austrian Bishops' Conference ) and form the supreme body of the Roman Catholic Church in this state. Where necessary, there are also sub-national conferences such as the Bavarian Bishops 'Conference and international conferences such as the Bishops' Conference of Saints Cyril and Method for Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia and Kosovo .

In addition to the diocesan bishops , the bishops' conferences usually also include all incumbent coadjutors , the diocesan administrators and the auxiliary bishops .

In 2007 there were a total of 113 bishops' conferences worldwide, as well as 18 bishops' synods of the Eastern Catholic Churches and 14 international associations of bishops' conferences.

history

The conference of bishops goes back to the first half of the 19th century when irregular assemblies of bishops from one region arose in Central European countries. The purpose was the mutual consultation and coordination of the church political procedure. On October 23, 1848, the first German bishops' conference began in Würzburg , initially prepared as an informal synodal meeting by Cologne Archbishop Johannes Geissel . The Codex Iuris Canonici (CIC) of 1917 institutionalized the Bishops' Conference as a temporary advisory assembly of bishops in a church province . However, this form of the bishops' conference could not prevail. The customary bishops' conferences remained in place. In Germany, these were the Fulda - and the Freising Bishops' Conference . These conferences did not have any legal authority.

During the Second Vatican Council , the Bishops' Conferences were for the first time given some powers through provisions in the liturgy constitution . In the decree Christ Dominus , the bishops' conferences were finally incorporated into the constitutional structure of the church as a hierarchical authority. This represented the conclusion of a development that was always hampered by the fear that the establishment of bishops' conferences could ultimately weaken the responsibility of the individual local bishop and promote the emergence of national churches. These fears have not been overcome to this day, although the 1983 CIC confirmed the role of the Bishops' Conferences in canon law. To this day there have been strong centralist efforts, especially in the Roman Curia , which, in addition to the universality of the Church, combined with the supreme authority of the Pope, also emphasize the responsibility of the individual local bishop.

Legal status

The conference of bishops is a permanent institution of a nation or a specific area, in which the bishops exercise certain tasks together ( can. 447 CIC ). The concept of the nation is to be seen in relation to a certain national territory.

The Bishops' Conference is a collegiate body in which the bishops express their legally binding will through collegial resolutions. In contrast to the councils such as the ecumenical councils or the plenary council , it is a permanent institution under current law.

In addition, where there is no correspondence between the internal church structure and the states, the national bishops' conferences represent the state. In Austria, for example, the Austrian Bishops' Conference (founded in 1849) as a public corporation represents the Catholic Church in Austria as the legally recognized church ( Concordat of 1933 ).

Establishment, change, suspension

The Apostolic See is responsible for the establishment, modification or abolition of a bishops' conference ( can. 449 §§1, 2 CIC ). The Bishops' Conference can thus be a legal entity and can therefore also be a property holder.

Since this was not the case according to the previous legal situation, the Association of Dioceses of Germany (VDD) still exists in Germany today and acts as the asset holder of the Bishops' Conference.

Statutory sovereignty

The Bishops' Conference has autonomous statutes. In accordance with can. 451 CIC itself has a statute that requires the approval of the Apostolic See to be valid. Only the diocesan bishops who are legally equivalent to them (e.g. apostolic administrators , vicars ) and the coadjutors of bishops, can. 454 §2 CIC .

Membership and voting rights

According to can. 450 CIC all diocesan bishops, all of them legally equivalent, all bishop coadjutors and auxiliary bishops of the conference area as well as titular bishops with a special papal mandate and territorial abbots . The Pope's envoy (such as the apostolic nuncio ) and other titular bishops, including the emeritus bishops, do not belong to the bishops' conference .

The diocesan bishops, legally equivalent to them and bishop coadjutors have, by law, decisive voting rights ( can. 454 §1 CIC ). Auxiliary bishops and titular bishops with papal mandate have advisory or decisive voting rights in accordance with the statutes ( can. 454 §2 CIC ). In Germany, the auxiliary bishops and titular bishops with papal mandate have decisive voting rights, with the diocesan bishops, coadjutors and diocesan administrators having a blocking minority.

organs

The organs of the Bishops' Conference are:

the presiding judge ( can. 452 CIC ) who cannot be an auxiliary bishop. His competencies refer only to the college organ as such, he is not the chief bishop of the area to which the bishops' conference extends,
the deputy, who is also not allowed to be an auxiliary bishop,
the plenary assembly through which the conference of bishops exercises its powers ( can. 453 CIC ),
the permanent council under the direction of the chairman ( can. 457 CIC ), which prepares and follows up the plenary assemblies, but to which other powers can be assigned,
the general secretariat ( can. 458 CIC ), which is compulsory to set up and is directed by a general secretary who need not be a member of the bishops' conference. It has to deal with the files of the conference of bishops. Plenary assembly, permanent council and chairman are authorized to give instructions
the commissions in accordance with the respective statutes of the conference.

Competencies

Legislative competence

The Conference of Bishops has legislative powers only where they are expressly assigned to it by law or by order of the Apostolic See ( can. 455 CIC ). This already determined the document Christ Dominus (No. 38, 4). In this it differs from the particular councils , whose normative competences are only limited by the overriding law.

Teaching authority

According to can. 753 CIC , the conference of bishops has teaching authority in the conference area. This means that the Bishops' Conference is the direct herald and teacher of the faith for the faithful entrusted to its care. A pastoral word of the bishops' conference therefore possesses authority of its own accord and no longer requires the authoritative preaching by each individual local bishop.

Web links

Wiktionary: Bishops' Conference - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

literature

Aymans , Mörsdorf : Canon Law. Volume 2: Constitutional and Association Law. 13th completely revised edition. Schöningh, Paderborn 1997, ISBN 3-506-70482-6 .

Individual evidence

^ Karl Cardinal Lehmann : From the service to the whole. Lecture at the press conference for the opening of the spring general assembly of the German Bishops' Conference in Würzburg. February 11, 2008, accessed November 20, 2014 .
↑ ^a ^b ^c Winfried Aymans, Klaus Mörsdorf: Canonical law. Textbook based on the Codex Iuris Canonici . Volume II Constitutional Law, Association Law. Schöningh, ISBN 978-3-506-70492-4 , pp. 277 .
↑ Wolfgang Weiss : The Catholic Church in the 19th Century. In: Ulrich Wagner (Hrsg.): History of the city of Würzburg. 4 volumes, Volume I-III / 2, Theiss, Stuttgart 2001-2007; III / 1–2: From the transition to Bavaria to the 21st century. 2007, ISBN 978-3-8062-1478-9 , pp. 430-449 and 1303, here: p. 437.
^ Sybille Grübel: Timeline of the history of the city from 1814-2006. In: Ulrich Wagner (Hrsg.): History of the city of Würzburg. 4 volumes, Volume I-III / 2, Theiss, Stuttgart 2001-2007; III / 1–2: From the transition to Bavaria to the 21st century. Volume 2, 2007, ISBN 978-3-8062-1478-9 , pp. 1225-1247; here: p. 1228.
^ Winfried Aymans, Klaus Mörsdorf: Canon Law. Textbook based on the Codex Iuris Canonici . Volume II Constitutional Law, Association Law. Schöningh, ISBN 978-3-506-70492-4 , pp. 279 .
^ Winfried Aymans, Klaus Mörsdorf: Canon Law. Textbook based on the Codex Iuris Canonici . Volume II Constitutional Law, Association Law. Schöningh, ISBN 978-3-506-70492-4 , pp. 283 .
^ Winfried Aymans, Klaus Mörsdorf: Canon Law. Textbook based on the Codex Iuris Canonici . Volume II Constitutional Law, Association Law. Schöningh, ISBN 978-3-506-70492-4 , pp. 285 .
^ Winfried Aymans, Klaus Mörsdorf: Canon Law. Textbook based on the Codex Iuris Canonici . Volume II Constitutional Law, Association Law. Schöningh, ISBN 978-3-506-70492-4 , pp. 287 .
^ Winfried Aymans, Klaus Mörsdorf: Canon Law. Textbook based on the Codex Iuris Canonici . Volume II Constitutional Law, Association Law. Schöningh, ISBN 978-3-506-70492-4 , pp. 295 .

[1] Karl Cardinal Lehmann : From the service to the whole. Lecture at the press conference for the opening of the spring general assembly of the German Bishops' Conference in Würzburg. February 11, 2008, accessed November 20, 2014 .

[aymans-mörsdorf-s227-2] Winfried Aymans, Klaus Mörsdorf: Canonical law. Textbook based on the Codex Iuris Canonici . Volume II Constitutional Law, Association Law. Schöningh, ISBN 978-3-506-70492-4 , pp. 277 .

[3] Wolfgang Weiss : The Catholic Church in the 19th Century. In: Ulrich Wagner (Hrsg.): History of the city of Würzburg. 4 volumes, Volume I-III / 2, Theiss, Stuttgart 2001-2007; III / 1–2: From the transition to Bavaria to the 21st century. 2007, ISBN 978-3-8062-1478-9 , pp. 430-449 and 1303, here: p. 437.

[4] Sybille Grübel: Timeline of the history of the city from 1814-2006. In: Ulrich Wagner (Hrsg.): History of the city of Würzburg. 4 volumes, Volume I-III / 2, Theiss, Stuttgart 2001-2007; III / 1–2: From the transition to Bavaria to the 21st century. Volume 2, 2007, ISBN 978-3-8062-1478-9 , pp. 1225-1247; here: p. 1228.

[5] Winfried Aymans, Klaus Mörsdorf: Canon Law. Textbook based on the Codex Iuris Canonici . Volume II Constitutional Law, Association Law. Schöningh, ISBN 978-3-506-70492-4 , pp. 279 .

[6] Winfried Aymans, Klaus Mörsdorf: Canon Law. Textbook based on the Codex Iuris Canonici . Volume II Constitutional Law, Association Law. Schöningh, ISBN 978-3-506-70492-4 , pp. 283 .

[7] Winfried Aymans, Klaus Mörsdorf: Canon Law. Textbook based on the Codex Iuris Canonici . Volume II Constitutional Law, Association Law. Schöningh, ISBN 978-3-506-70492-4 , pp. 285 .

[8] Winfried Aymans, Klaus Mörsdorf: Canon Law. Textbook based on the Codex Iuris Canonici . Volume II Constitutional Law, Association Law. Schöningh, ISBN 978-3-506-70492-4 , pp. 287 .

[9] Winfried Aymans, Klaus Mörsdorf: Canon Law. Textbook based on the Codex Iuris Canonici . Volume II Constitutional Law, Association Law. Schöningh, ISBN 978-3-506-70492-4 , pp. 295 .