Designed for seamless connectivity

By Simon Stevens, Education Officer, Catholic Mission and Identity, at Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS).

The episcopal consecration of the Most Rev Thinh Nguyen DD and Most Rev Rene Ramirez RCJ DD on 1 February has taken Melbourne, the largest archdiocese in Oceania, up to its full complement of four auxiliary bishops one for each of the cardinal points of the compass: north, south, east and west (CAM 2024).

A vital link

An auxiliary bishop has a vital role in any archdiocese. So often we think that something that is ‘auxiliary’ is supplementary, additional, a mere add-on. We all have an auxiliary cable in use on our devices at home. They provide a vital link between a source and a transmission device. Without them we would not receive the message being communicated to us.

Its Latin roots reveal its essence. Auxilia means help in Latin. In the Papal Bull announcing the appointment of the two bishops, the Pope explained that Archbishop Peter A Comensoli had requested an auxiliary be appointed because of the ‘enormous amount of pastoral business’ (CAM 2025).

Catholic schools will, fortunately, make up a great deal of their pastoral business. As Bishop Thinh and Bishop Rene join Bishop Martin Ashe and Bishop Tony Ireland in bringing together the leadership of the four regions of the archdiocese, this means they will also be intimately involved in the ministry of teaching in their regions, in support of Archbishop Peter. Bishop Thinh in the east and Bishop Rene in the north.

Bishops for the whole Church

These two men are consecrated as bishops for the whole Church. As such Canon 375 §1 of the Code of Canon Law states they are successors of the Apostles and, therefore, members of the College of Bishops (CLS 1983).

All bishops have a responsibility to act in council with other bishops to guide the Church. Membership in and union with the College of Bishops is, consequently, an essential element within episcopal consecration, and arguably represents the ‘fulness of orders’ (Wood 1990) which sets the episcopacy apart from the other orders.

The impact of this multicultural appointment of Bishop Thinh and Bishop Rene is reflective of ‘the multicultural face of the Church in Australia’, and will be ground-breaking for ‘the archdiocese and the wider Church’, Archbishop Costelloe said. ‘We are confident they will bring their unique experience and talents to the work of the Church at a national level’ (ACBC 2025).

The richness of this impact was clear when ‘about 3,000 faithful gathered’ with ‘the Filipino and Vietnamese Catholic communities [as] a strong and enthusiastic presence among those who filled the pews’ (CAM 2025) at the ordination in St Patrick’s Cathedral. The Mass booklet and video are wonderful mementos of the day.

Overseer

Bishop Thinh and Bishop Rene will have roles that oversee (via Latin from Greek episkopos ‘overseer’, from epi ‘above’ and -skopos ‘-looking’) their threefold office as priest, prophet and king – and their corresponding duties of teaching, sanctifying and governing the faithful.

This means a bishop is chiefly responsible for: preaching the gospel as a witness to the truth of Christ; offering the sacraments; and leading the faithful of their diocese by their words and example as per Canon 375 §1 (CLS 1983). As bishops they are ‘bound to teach’, (Canon 386 §1) and because of their function as teachers of the faith, the postnominal title of ‘DD’ (Doctor of Divinity) is added after their name.

In sanctifying, they oversee and provide for the administration of the sacraments; and, as a diocesan bishop, to govern; legislate and administer a particular church.

Auxiliary and diocese – what is the difference?

A diocesan bishop or archbishop – canonically called an ‘ordinary’ – has power and jurisdiction over a particular church – a designated geographical area of the Church – which is his diocese. They govern it. The difference between an auxiliary bishop and an ordinary of the same diocese (in this case the Archbishop of Melbourne) is in the governing rights of the diocese.

What is the difference between an archbishop and auxiliary bishop? Theologically and sacramentally speaking, there is none, they’re both fully bishops – but the difference instead lies in their governing authority according to canon law.

Auxiliary bishops (while technically diocesan bishops in their own right with regard to their ‘titular sees’) exercise their sacramental authority with the permission of and in harmony with the local ordinary. The archbishop and auxiliary bishop ‘are to consult one another on matters of major importance’ (Canon 407 §3).

As auxiliary bishops, they do not have a territorial diocese to oversee. To signify that they are a bishop that does not lead a diocese, they are given a titular episcopate – in title only (Canon 376).

A titular bishop is a bishop who does not lead or govern a diocese. A priest who becomes a bishop but does not lead a diocese, such as an auxiliary bishop, a nuncio, or an official in the Roman Curia, is given a titular see. The titular see is a title linked to a diocese that no longer exists.

Most Reverend Thinh Nguyen was assigned as the Titular Bishop of Madaurus (a former diocese of the Catholic Church in the Roman state of Numidia, in present-day Algeria) and Most Reverend Rene Ramirez RCJ was assigned as the Titular Bishop of Mauriana (a former diocese in the Roman province of Mauretania Caesariensis, the current location in modern Algeria hasn't yet been established).

The Archdiocese is blessed to have our full complement of auxiliary bishops to assist in ministering to God’s people and like our ever-present auxiliary cable, they are designed for seamless connectivity.

References

Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC) 2025, ‘Pope Francis appoints two new Melbourne auxiliary bishops’, Catholic Australia, ACBC, ACT, accessed 10 February 2025 www.catholic.au/s/article/Pope-Francis-appoints-two-new-Melbourne-auxiliary-bishops.

Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne (CAM) 2025, ‘Joy overflows at Consecration of Melbourne’s newest bishops’, Melbourne Catholic, CAM, East Melbourne, accessed 10 February 2025 https://melbournecatholic.org/news/joy-overflows-at-consecration-of-melbournes-newest-bishops.

Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne (CAM) 2024, ‘Two new Auxiliary Bishops appointed for Melbourne’, Melbourne Catholic, CAM, East Melbourne, accessed 10 February 2025 https://melbournecatholic.org/news/two-new-auxiliary-bishops-appointed-for-melbourne.

Canon Law Society of Great Britain and Ireland (CLS) 1983, The Code of Canon Law: in English translation, The Canon Law Society Trust, accessed 10 February 2025 https://canonlawabstracts.uk/html/code_of_canon_law.html.

Wood, S 1990, ‘The Sacramentality of Episcopal Consecration,’ Theological Studies, 51 (3), 479–481, accessed 10 February 2025 www.churchauthority.org/resources2/wood.asp.

Simon Stevens can be contacted on 9267 0228 or via email sstevens@macs.vic.edu.au.

Image source: Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne
Video source: Dr Rosemary Brooks