Acoadjutor bishop (orbishop coadjutor) ("co-assister" in Latin) is a bishop in theLatin Catholic,Anglican and (historically)Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist thediocesan bishop in administering the diocese.[1][2]
The coadjutor automatically succeeds the diocesan bishop when he retires, dies or leaves office for another reason. In the Latin Catholic Church, the coadjutor is a bishop appointed by the pope in Rome. He is considered the principal deputy administrator of the diocese.
In the Eastern Catholic churches, the adjutor may be appointed by the pope or by the church itself. Within the Anglican Communion, a diocesan committee appoints the coadjutor, who can be male or female.
In the Latin Church, the pope may appoint a bishop as coadjutor to help thediocesan bishop govern thediocese. Being himself a bishop, the coadjutor can substitute for the diocesan bishop in his absence (Canon 403§3).[3]
Undercanon law, the coadjutor must serve as thevicar general, the principal deputy administrator of the diocese. The diocesan bishop must "entrust to him [coadjutor] before others" in acts that require a special mandate (Canon 406§1) If theepiscopal see is anarchdiocese, the coadjutor is appointed as anarchbishop.[4][5]
In modern church practice, the pope can appoint a coadjutor to assist a bishop who needs help due to declining health. The coadjutor can also assist a bishop nearing retirement. The objective is to have continuity of leadership in the diocese and avoid an unexpected vacancy in the position of bishop.[5]
Pope Benedict XVI named BishopDennis Schnurr as coadjutor archbishop of theArchdiocese of Cincinnati in Ohio in the United States in October 2008 to assist ArchbishopDaniel Pilarczyk. When Pilarczyk retired in December 2009, Schnurr automatically became the diocesan archbishop without any ceremony.[6]
In some situations, the pope may appoint a coadjutor to override the diocesan bishop in certain matters. These might include a public scandal or financial mismanagement of diocese. The problems are serious, but not bad enough for the pope to remove the diocesan bishop.
In 2023,Pope Francis appointed BishopFrançois Touvet as coadjutor of theDiocese of Fréjus-Toulon in France to assist the elderly BishopDominique Rey. The pope gave Touvet special powers to oversee the preparation ofseminarians and the financial management in the diocese. TheVatican had suspended theordination of priests in the diocese in 2022.[7]
In one instance, the pope appointed a coadjutor to a church that was not a diocese. In 2002,Pope John Paul II named the ReverendFernando Arêas Rifan as coadjutor of thePersonal Apostolic Administration of Saint John Mary Vianney in Brazil. The pope took this action as part of the reconciliation agreement with the former Priestly Union of Saint John Mary Vianney that had broken with the Catholic Church.[8]
The 1983Code of Canon Law of the Latin Church stipulates that all coadjutors have the right of succession. The code also allows the pope to appoint an auxiliary bishop to a diocese "with special faculties [powers]", but without the right of succession.[9]
In 1986,Pope John Paul II appointed the ReverendDonald Wuerl as an auxiliary bishop in theArchdiocese of Seattle in Washington State in the United States with "special powers" to override ArchbishopRaymond Hunthausen. The pope was unhappy with Hunthausen's handling ofLGBTQ relations and other morality issues.[10]
Under the old1917 Code of Canon Law, the pope did not have to give a coadjutorcum jure succesionis ("with the right of succession"). In practice, the popes sometimes appointed coadjutors without the right of succession. These coadjutors usually served in large archdioceses. They might hold other important posts within the Catholic Church, or might be auxiliary bishops that the pope wanted to honor with the title of coadjutor.[11]
For example,Pope Paul VI in 1965 appointed Auxiliary BishopJohn J. Maguire as coadjutor of theArchdiocese of New York, one of the largest archdioceses in the United States, to assist CardinalFrancis Spellman. However, the pope denied Maguire the right to succeed Spellman following his death in 1967.[12]
Somesui jurisEastern Catholic Churches also appoint coadjutors. However, the selection process differs among the churches.
The coadjutor of aneparchy, archeparchy, ormetropolis has the respective status of an eparch,archeparch, or metropolitan.
In someprovinces of theAnglican Communion, a bishop coadjutor (the form usually used) is a bishop elected or appointed to follow the current diocesan bishop upon the incumbent's death or retirement.
In theEpiscopal Church in the United States of America, when a diocesan bishop announces their intent to retire, they normally call for a special diocesan convention to elect a bishop coadjutor. The bishop coadjutor and diocesan bishop then serve jointly until the diocesan bishop dies or retires. The coadjutor automatically becomes the diocesan bishop.[13]
A "bishop suffragan" is elected to assist the diocesan bishop under his direction, but without the inherent right of succession.[14]
There have been bishops coadjutor in theAnglican Church of Australia without the right of succession to the diocesan see.[citation needed]
