Bishop Richard Pates, current auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis and the Titular Bishop of Suacia.

Main article:Bishop (Catholic Church)

A titular bishop is a bishop of the Catholic Church who is not in charge of a diocese (Code of Canon Law, Canon 376). Examples of bishops belonging to this category are coadjutor bishops, auxiliary bishops, bishops emeriti, vicars apostolic, nuncios, superiors of departments in the Roman Curia, and Cardinal Bishops of suburbicarian dioceses (since they are not in charge of the suburbicarian dioceses). Most titular bishops hold the title to a titular see. Assigning titular sees serves two purposes. Since part of being a bishop means being the head of a Church, titular sees serve that purpose for bishops without a diocese. At the same time, the office of titular bishop memorializes ancient Churches, most of which were suppressed because they fell into the hands of non-Christian conquerors. For this reason the former terminology was not "titular bishop" but "bishop in infidel regions" (in partibus infidelium). In recent times the names of titular sees are drawn also in numerous cases from those of former dioceses which were absorbed into other dioceses or expanded and hence moved to larger towns and cities. Image File history File links BishopPates. ... Image File history File links BishopPates. ... Bishop Pates Richard E. Pates (born February 12, 1943) is a Bishop of the Roman Catholic Church. ... The Cathedral of Saint Paul is the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. ... A bishop in the Catholic Church is a member of the College of Bishops, is an ordained minister, and holds the fullness of the priesthood. ... A bishop in the Catholic Church is a member of the College of Bishops, is an ordained minister, and holds the fullness of the priesthood. ... The name Catholic Church can mean a visible organization that refers to itself as Catholic, or the invisible Christian Church, viz. ... Pope Pius XI blesses Bishop Stephen Alencastre as fifth Apostolic Vicar of the Hawaiian Islands in a Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace window. ... Archbishop Jerome Hanus of the Archdiocese of Dubuque, Dubuque, Iowa. ... Bishop Richard Pates, current auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis and the Titular Bishop of Suacia. ... Emeritus (IPA pronunciation: or ) is an adjective that is used in the title of a retired professor, bishop or other professional. ... Apostolic vicariate is a type of Roman Catholic diocese for non-Catholic or missionary regions and countries. ... Karl-Josef Rauber; Nuncio for Belgium Nuncio is an ecclesiastical diplomatic title, derived from the ancient Latin Nuntius, meaning any envoy. ... The Roman Curia — usually called the Vatican — is the administrative apparatus of the Holy See, coordinating and providing the necessary organisation for the correct functioning of the Catholic Church and the achievement of its goals. ... Cardinal Bishops, or Cardinals of the Episcopal Order, are among the most important persons in the Roman Catholic Church. ... The seven suburbicarian dioceses are Roman Catholic dioceses located in the suburbs that surround Rome, reserved for the highest order of Cardinals. ... When first appointed auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Honolulu in Hawaii, Joseph Anthony Ferrario became a titular bishop of the titular see of the ancient Egyptian city of Cusae. ...

Since 1970, there are two more exceptions. Diocesan bishops who resign their see or are transferred to a non-diocesan appointment are no longer habitually transferred to a titular see. Instead, they take the title Bishop Emeritus of the former see. Also, coadjutors are no longer named to titular sees, instead taking the title Coadjutor Bishop of the see they will inherit. In other cases titular bishops still take a titular see. Emeritus (IPA pronunciation: or ) is an adjective that is used in the title of a retired professor, bishop or other professional. ... Archbishop Jerome Hanus of the Archdiocese of Dubuque, Dubuque, Iowa. ...

Here are two examples to illustrate the difference. When Bishop Francis Green [1] was named coadjutor of Tucson, Arizona in 1960, his official title remained "Titular Bishop of Serra" until he succeeded the Bishop of Tucson later that same year. However, when Bishop Gerald Kicanas [2] became Coadjutor Bishop of Tucson in 2001, he ceased being Titular Bishop of Bela. He still remained a titular bishop until he succeeded the Bishop of Tucson in 2003, but his official title changed from "Titular Bishop of Bela" to "Coadjutor Bishop of Tucson." Tucson (pronounced , Spanish: Tucsón ) is the seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States, located 118 miles (188 km) southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles (98 km) north of the U.S.-Mexico border. ...

Cardinal Bishops of suburbicarian dioceses are also titular bishops, but they hold titles to existing dioceses, namely one or more of the suburbicarian sees, but while they do not govern their see they are obliged to give it their patronage. Angelo Cardinal Sodano is Titular Bishop of Albano [3], while Bishop Marcello Vallini is its actual diocesan bishop [4]. The Cardinal Dean is by tradition Cardinal Bishop of Ostia, in addition to the suburbican see he previously held. The seven suburbicarian dioceses are Roman Catholic dioceses located in the suburbs that surround Rome, reserved for the highest order of Cardinals. ... Cardinal Sodano with Condoleezza Rice. ... Albano is a suburbicarian see of the Roman Catholic Church, comprising seven towns in the Province of Rome. ... The Bishop of Ostia is the ecclesiastical head of the Catholic diocese of Ostia, one of the seven suburbicarian sees of Rome. ...

Occasionally, the transfer of a diocesan bishop to a titular see has been used by the Holy See to strip of his responsibilities a bishop whose behavior it disapproved of. For instance, in 1995, Jacques Gaillot, known for his activism on Catholic-sensitive social and political topics (pro-contraception, abortion, etc...), was transferred from the see of Évreux in France to Partenia, a titular see in Algeria. Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... Bishop Jacques Jean Edmond Georges Gaillot (born September 11, 1935;  ; generally known in French as Monseigneur Gaillot) is a French Catholic clergyman and social activist. ... Évreux Cathedral, west front The Diocese of Évreux is a Roman Catholic diocese in France. ... Partenia is a diocese in Algeria. ...

References

• Codex Juris Canonici (Code of Canon Law), Vatican City: Typis Polyglottis Vaticanis, 1983.