Atitular bishop in various churches is abishop who is not in charge of adiocese.By definition, abishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of theCatholic,Eastern Orthodox andOriental Orthodox churches is that he be ordained for a specific place. There are more bishops than there are functioning dioceses. Therefore, a priest appointed not to head a diocese as its diocesan bishop but to be anauxiliary bishop, a papal diplomat, or an official of theRoman Curia is appointed to atitular see.
In theCatholic Church, a titular bishop is abishop who is not in charge of adiocese.[1] Examples of bishops belonging to this category arecoadjutor bishops,auxiliary bishops, bishopsemeriti,vicars apostolic,nuncios, superiors of departments in theRoman Curia, andcardinal bishops ofsuburbicarian dioceses (since they are not in charge of the suburbicarian dioceses). Most titular bishops hold the title to atitular see. Assigning titular sees serves two purposes. Since part of being a bishop means being the head of aChristian 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.[citation needed]
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 titleBishop (orArchbishop)Emeritus of the last see. Also,coadjutors are no longer named to titular sees, instead taking the titleCoadjutor Bishop (orCoadjutor Archbishop) of the see they will inherit. In other cases titular bishops still take a titular see.[citation needed]
Beginning in 2019, titular sees are no longer being assigned to new Vicars Apostolic.[citation needed]
WhenFrancis Green[2] was named Coadjutor Bishop ofTucson, Arizona, in 1960, his official title remained "Titular Bishop of Serra" until he succeededDaniel James Gercke later that same year. However, whenGerald Kicanas[3] became Coadjutor Bishop of Tucson in 2001, he ceased beingTitular Bishop of Bela. He remained a titular bishop until he succeeded Manuel Moreno in 2003, but his official title changed from "Titular Bishop of Bela" to "Coadjutor Bishop of Tucson."
Cardinal Bishops ofsuburbicarian dioceses are also titular bishops, but unlike others, they hold titles to existing dioceses, namely one or more of the suburbicarian sees near Rome. While they do not govern their see, they are obliged to give it their patronage.Angelo Sodano, as CardinalBishop of Albano,[4] was titular bishop of the see, while Bishop Marcello Semeraro is its actual diocesan bishop.[5] The Cardinal Dean is by traditionCardinal Bishop of Ostia, in addition to the suburbicarian see he previously held.
Occasionally, the transfer of a diocesan bishop to a titular see has been used by theHoly See to strip of responsibilities a bishop whose behavior was disapproved. For instance, in 1995,Jacques Gaillot, known for his activism on Catholic-sensitive social and political topics (such as support for contraception andabortion), was transferred from thesee of Évreux inFrance toPartenia, a titular see inAlgeria, instead of becoming Bishop Emeritus of Évreux.[citation needed]
Titular bishops and titular metropolitans are often appointed in theEastern Orthodox Church.
In theEcumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, titular bishops and metropolitans are usually appointed with titles of former dioceses in the regions ofThrace,Asia Minor andPontus (all regions in what is nowTurkey), that were often active until theGreek-Turkish population exchange of 1923.[6]
In theSerbian Orthodox Church, titular bishops are usually appointed to serve as auxiliary bishops, assisting diocesan bishops in various fields of diocesan administration.[7] One example of such a bishop wasVarnava Nastić (1914–1964), titular bishop ofHvosno who had the responsibility of administering theDiocese of Dabar-Bosnia.
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