Pope may consider submissions, or choose another altogether

By Scott McConnaha of the Catholic Herald Staff

ST. FRANCIS — According to the informational brochure titled “Appointing Bishops,” published by the Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), there are four basic stages to getting the names of bishop candidates into the pope’s hands so he may decide who will succeed a retiring or outgoing bishop. It should be noted, though, that even with the traditional process in place, the Holy Father can always ignore suggestions and pick whoever he wants.

Stage 1: Diocesan level

Stage 1 of the strictly confidential process takes place periodically on the diocesan level. The five Catholic dioceses in Wisconsin — Green Bay, La Crosse, Madison, Milwaukee and Superior — make up one of the 33 ecclesiastical provinces in the United States. “Every bishop may submit to the archbishop of his province the names of priests he thinks would make good bishops,” according to the USCCB brochure.

The province bishops vote on the candidates and the tally is forwarded by the archbishop to the apostolic nuncio in Washington, D.C. The number of names on the list varies from year to year and from province to province. “Every so many years that item would be on the agenda (at Wisconsin Catholic Conference meetings),” Bishop Richard J. Sklba told the Catholic Herald

Stage 2: Offices of U.S. apostolic nuncio

Stage 2 occurs at the offices of Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo, the current U.S. apostolic nuncio (a Vatican diplomatic representative with the rank of ambassador). He receives the names of priests, who are recommended as bishop candidates, from the 33 provinces throughout the year. As vacancies occur in U.S. dioceses, he chooses a few candidates to suggest to Rome from among the list of names.

“By overseeing the final list of names forwarded to Rome, the apostolic nuncio plays a decisive role in the selection process. He not only gathers facts and information about potential candidates, but also interprets that information for the Congregation (for Bishops). Great weight is given to the nuncio’s recommendations, but it is important to remember that his ‘gatekeeper’ role, however, does not require that his recommendations are always followed,” according to the USCCB brochure.

The nuncio’s recommendations to Rome are based on his own extensive investigation of each candidate’s suitability for a particular diocese, the conditions and needs of the diocese as reported by the incumbent bishop, and consultations with previous bishops and current representatives of the diocese, other bishops of the province, other archbishops in the United States, and the president and vice president of the USCCB.

Sklba said officials here have not been asked for a report on the conditions and needs of the archdiocese. “It is not an automatic part of the process,” he said, and added that such a report has been written. “The pastoral council and the priests’ council did compile a confidential profile (of the archdiocese) over the past year,” he said.

All material collected and reviewed by the nuncio is compiled into an approximately 20-page report that contains the “terna,” three candidates listed alphabetically, with the nuncio’s preference noted. This report is sent to the Congregation for Bishops in Rome. This part of the process typically takes two to six months, according to the USCCB brochure.

Stage 3: Work of the Congregation for Bishops

The work of the Congregation for Bishops is stage 3. The nuncio’s report is summarized and presented to the congregation, which usually meets twice a month on Thursdays. The congregation discusses the report and votes for their preferred candidate. “The congregation may follow the recommendation of the nuncio, choose another of the candidates on the terna, or even ask that another terna be prepared,” according to the USCCB brochure.

Some elements of the process up to this point will probably not apply in filling the vacancy in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, as it is widely believed Weakland’s successor will not be a priest being raised to the rank of bishop, but a bishop or auxiliary bishop of another diocese who will transfer here.

A private meeting between the pope and the prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, usually on a Saturday, initiates the final stage. It is here when the recommendations of the congregation are presented to the Holy Father. After a few days, the pope will tell the congregation his decision, and his choice may not be that of the congregation’s.

The congregation notifies the nuncio of the pope’s decision. The nuncio contacts the candidate, and if he accepts the appointment, the Vatican is notified and plans are made to make a public announcement. The process, starting when a retiring bishop mails his resignation letter and ending with the installation of his successor, can take roughly six to eight months, and sometimes even longer, according to the USCCB brochure.

This originally appeared in the March 14, 2002 Catholic Herald