Process of Bishop selection

Statement  from the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend regarding  a successor to Bishop John D’Arcy:

The appointment of a bishop in the Catholic Church is a complicated process.  Outgoing bishops, neighboring bishops, the faithful, the apostolic nuncio, various members of the Roman Curia, and the pope all have a role in the selection.  The exact process varies based upon a number of factors, including whether the bishop is from the Latin Church or one of the Eastern Catholic Churches, the geographic location of the diocese, what office the candidate is being chosen to fill, and whether the candidate has previously been ordained to the episcopate.

Canon 401 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law states that all bishops must submit their resignation to the pope at the age of 73.  The letter first goes to the apostolic nuncio or apostolic delegate, the pope’s reperesentative in the country or region.  he will forward it to the Secretariat of State in the Vatican City.  Bishop John D’Arcy submitted his letter of resignation in August 2007.

The pope has a range of options from accepting the resignation right away to asking the bishop to stay until a successor is chosen; in Latin: donec aliter provideatur, or “until further provision is made.”  This first step could take several months, or even longer.

In a planned vacancy, such as in the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, the selection progress can take between nine months and one year, although longer vacancies are not uncommon.

Announcement of a successor to Bishop D’Arcy will come from Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apostolic nuncio to the United States.