Fr. Ludwig, how do they pick a bishop?

by Father John Ludwig | January 14, 2025

Q. Recently a new bishop was installed in the Diocese of Davenport. Our bishop was installed five years ago. What is the process for choosing a bishop?

A. This question has a long history. In the very early days of the church, the faithful themselves elected their leaders. The leader was referred to as an “overseer” or a “supervisor.” That’s the meaning of the word bishop. As the church became more organized, other bishops got involved in the selection of new bishops. Eventually, the bishop of Rome confirmed the selection of a new bishop.

Today, when a new diocese is created or when a vacancy occurs in a diocese, several things happen. The representative of the Holy Father – the nuncio or the apostolic delegate - begins to research possible candidates. Sometimes the person selected is already a bishop in another diocese, and sometimes the candidate is not yet a bishop. The research often involves sending confidential inquiries to bishops, priests, diocesan officials, etc.

When all of that information is collected, the nuncio or the apostolic delegate sends a list of three possible candidates to an office at the Vatican, the Congregation for Bishops. That office then sends the list to the Holy Father who makes a choice. The selection of new bishops is often announced at noon, Rome time, in an official bulletin, and also at the same time in the local diocese. The new bishop often is present in that diocese for his introduction and frequently holds a news conference. In a diocese where an auxiliary bishop is chosen, the diocesan bishop is usually closely involved in the selection.

Q. What is a papal nuncio. Who is ours and what does he do?

A. A papal nuncio is the representative of the Holy Father, the Bishop of Rome, to a particular government. An apostolic delegate represents the Holy Father to the church in a given country, not to the government. A nuncio is much like an ambassador. The present nuncio to the United States is a Frenchman, Cardinal Christophe Pierre. One of his many duties is to recommend new bishops for the dioceses in our country. He’s not the only one involved – ecclesiastical provinces (in the U.S., usually state by state) send names of potential bishops to the nuncio. Then the nuncio forwards those names to Rome. There is a department or “congregation” in Rome who assists the pope in choosing the final candidate.

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