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EPISCOPAL
CONFERENCE Episcopal
conferences are periodic assemblies of the bishops of one region or
country jointly exercising certain pastoral offices on behalf of the
Christian faithful of that territory. Already before Vatican Council II
they or their equivalent existed in many countries, where bishops gathered
together to discuss matters of interdiocesan interest and determine common
policy. The Council recommended their establishment everywhere (Decree on
the Bishops’ Pastoral Office in the Church, Christus Dominus, 37). Their
purpose is to facilitate exchanges of experience among the bishops
involved, and to standardize pastoral and administrative practices so as
to further the Church’s mission toward the world (cf. Canon 447). As
institutions of ecclesiastical origin, the episcopal conferences are not
intermediate organs of government between each diocesan bishop and the
Pope. It is to the Roman Pontiff, and not to the conference, that each
bishop is directly responsible. The conferences can give decrees in
certain matters determined by law; in order to be binding these decrees
must (along with other conditions) be approved by the Holy See (Canons
455.1 and 455.2). They cannot act in the name of all the bishops involved
unless all have given their consent (Canon 455.4). Evidently, given a
proper ecclesial spirit on all sides, a local bishop will not lightly
ignore recommendations of the episcopal conference that contribute to true
Catholic unity and legitimate diversity. It should be noted, too, that the
nature and authority of episcopal conferences are today subjects of
continuing theological reflection. Advisory
bodies or committees set up by an episcopal conference carry out important
tasks of coordination, information, and research. However, they have no
jurisdiction over the areas covered by the conference.
Russell
Shaw. Our Sunday Visitor's Encyclopedia of Catholic Doctrine. Copyright ©
1997, Our Sunday Visitor.
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