The empty chair

When His Excellency Archbishop Lucas took possession of the See of Omaha Wednesday afternoon, the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois became a sede vacante, a vacant seat, because there is no one to occupy the cathedra, the Bishop's chair, from which the cathedral takes its name.

In such a time, the governance of the Diocese passes into the hands of the College of Consulters, a group of six to twelve priests appointed by the Diocesan Bishop to assist him in exceptional matters.

In the event of a vacant see it falls to the College of Consulters to elect, by a two-thirds majority, a Diocesan Administrator within eight days of the time the See became vacant who will govern the Diocese until a new Bishop should be appointed by the Holy Father.

The one elected must be a priest who has at least reached his thirty-fifth year and cannot have already been elected the Diocesan Administrator. He is to be “outstanding in doctrine and prudence” (c. 425 § 2).

The Diocesan Administrator oversees a Diocese in much the same way that a steward governs in the absence of the King; he sees to the status quo, as it were, simply ensuring that day-to-day affairs continue. “When a see is vacant, nothing is to be altered” (c. 428 § 1).

The Diocesan Administrator “is bound by the obligations and possesses the power of a diocesan bishop, excluding those matters which are excepted by their nature or by the law itself. When he has accepted election, the diocesan administrator obtains power and no other confirmation is required” (c. 427 § 1-2).

The College of Consulters of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois will meet today to elect our Diocesan Administrator. Please keep them in your prayers this day.

Once elected, the Diocesan Administrator must inform the Holy See of his election.

The office of Diocesan Administrator ceases when a new Bishop takes possession of the Diocese.