Pensacola Native Named New Auxiliary Bishop of Washington, D.C.
Information on the Archdiocese of Washington
and the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee
The Archdiocese of Washington comprises 550,000
Catholics and covers approximately 2,018 square miles including
Washington, D.C. and five counties in Maryland. The Catholic population
of the Archdiocese is 21.4% of the total population. Originally part of
the Archdiocese of Baltimore, dating back to the early 17th century, the
Archdiocese of Washington was established as an independent archdiocese
in 1939. The archdiocese is a mixture of densely urban and rural
agricultural areas.
The Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee comprises
nearly 70,000 Catholics and covers 14,044 square miles, arranged into
eighteen counties, stretching from the Alabama-Florida border to east of
Tallahassee. The Catholic population of the diocese is approximately 5%
of the total population. Home to the location of the first Catholic Mass
celebrated on the North American continent in the early 16th century,
the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee was established in 1975 by dividing
the Diocese of Saint Augustine. The western eight counties of the
diocese were part of the Diocese of Mobile prior to 1968. The diocese is
largely rural, with major population centers in Pensacola, Tallahassee,
Ft. Walton Beach/Destin, and Panama City.
The Archdiocese of Washington would fit roughly
into the western two counties of the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee,
and has a Catholic population nearly 8 times greater than
Pensacola-Tallahassee.
The Role of an Auxiliary Bishop:
the case of an archdiocese, the archbishop has
the designation of metropolitan. In the case where the diocese or
archdiocese is either so extensive in territory or so densely populated
that the work of the bishop is too much for the labors of a single
person, auxiliary bishops are frequently appointed by the pope to assist
the ordinary. Diocesan bishops (ordinaries) have and exercise full power
of jurisdiction over the diocese. Auxiliary bishops have no authority to
act without the permission of the diocesan bishop. The diocesan bishop
may delegate certain powers to the auxiliary bishop(s) within the
diocese; or the diocesan bishop may designate certain territories or
ministries under the direct stewardship of an auxiliary bishop.
How Bishops are Selected:
In the United States, the process of selecting a
new bishop (or auxiliary bishop) begins as the leaders (consultors) of
all the dioceses within a province meet to choose three candidates. The
candidates' names are then sent to the archbishop and bishops of the
province, who examine the merits of each candidate. If the candidates
are deemed worthy, their names are submitted to Rome. The final choice
of bishops belongs exclusively to the pope.
The qualifications for bishop date to the Council
of Trent (1545-1563) and include being at least 30 years old, being free
from any defect of mind, purity of personal morals, good reputation,
having been ordained to the priesthood at least 6 months, and being fit
to teach others as evidenced by advanced education in theology.
Contact:
Diocesan Office of Communications:
850-435-3528
or
Monsignor Michael Mooney
850-477-3221.
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