Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 4.djvu/885

 DIOCESAN

799

DIOCESAN

Tbere are, however, some large dioceses in which all matters personally reserved to the bishop are exe- cuted by him with the aid of a secretary or chancellor, usually a priest, while the greater part of the diocesan administration is handed over to a body of officials under the direction of the bishop or his vicar-general. For the correspondence, registration, and care of the archives, such administrative bureaux are provided with a secretariat or chancery. The chancery is a necessary element of administration in every diocese. Some provision for its duties must be made, even in niis.sionary dioceses, in Apostolic prefectures and vicariates. Unless the official correspondence were properly cared for, there would be no tradition in dio- cesan management, important documents would bo lost, and the written evidence necessary in lawsuits and trials would be lacking. The famous Apostolic Chancery (Cannllnrid ApoxMica) developed in time from the chancery of the primitive Bishoj) of Rome. By reason of the latter's primacy in the ("hurch, his chancery naturally ha<l far wider relations than that of any other Christian diocese.

It is somewhat strange, given the necessity and, generally speaking, the universality of diocesan chan- ceries, to find that there is nothing in the common ecclesiastical law concerning their creation and equip- ment. The explanation lies' in the very nature of this law, which provides only for what is general anil com- mon, and takes no account of local means of adminis- tration which it abandons to the proper authority in each diocese, the concrete circmnstancos offering always great variety and calling for all possible free- dom of action. Nor has the Apostolic See ever legis- lated concerning diocesan chanceries; even the ap- pointment of a vicar-general is not made obligatory by the common law. Although, as above described, the methods of diocesan administration exhibit no little variety, there exists on the other hand a certain uni- formity. Each diocese, after all, is bound to observe the common law, has an identical range of freedom, and identical limits to its authority. Each dioce-se, therefore, ls likely, a priori, to develop its administra- tion along similar lines, but does so regularly in harmony with others, particularly neighbouring dio- ceses. In this way the dioceses of a given country come to liave similar official administration. In the course of the last century the diocesan system was generally introduced in many coimt ries whose chm-ches had hitherto been imder a more or less provisional

foveriunent (e. g. United States, England, Scotlaml, ndia). Naturally, the bishops of these new dioceses

sought at once to provide for an orderly administra- tion and the establishment of suitable methods for the same. Thus we see that the more recent national and provincial synods lay much stress on the creation of diocesan chanceries. The First Plenary Council of Baltimore (18.52) expressed the wish that in every diocese there should be a chancery, to facilitate eccle- siastical administration and establisli for its conduct a more or less identical .system. The National Synod of Thurles in Ireland (18.50) made provision for the es- tablishment and preservation of diocesan archives. Similarly for lOngland the Provincial SjTiod of West- min.ster (18.52).

In keeping with these recommendations the dio- cesan chancery consists of a certain number of officials named by the bi.shop. In the United States, Engl.and, and Australia there are usually, besides the vicar- g(Hieral, a diocesan chancellor and a .secretary. In European dioceses t,he cliancery is organized variously, according to the extent of the diocese. There is gen- erally in each diocese a chancellor or .secretary with the necessaiy personnel. In the dioceses of Germany much of the administration is carried on by an official bureau (Offizialat) as tlescribed above, i. e. the vicari- ate-general, to which are adjoined a secretariat, a. registry office, and a chancery. In the Diocese of Breslau there exists an instit\ition known as the "Secret Chancery" (Celicinikanzlei) which expedites only matters decided by the prince-bishop personally or with the advice of this body. The prince-bishop presides over its sessions with the help of the vicar- general. Its members are three pri(>sts and one lay coimsellor to whom are mldi-d a secretary, a chief of the chancei-y, two private s.cntid iis, a registrar, etc. The ordinary diocesan ailiiiiipi~tr:il Inn is carried on by two other bureaux, tht^ vicnriiilc-eincral and the dio- cesan consistory, mutually indiixiHlcnt, but both act- ing in the name of the princc-liisliop. For the office of diocesan chancellor in the United States, see "Acta at Decreta" of the Third Plenary Council of Balti- more, in index, p. 30^!, .and of the Synod of Maynooth (1900), s. v. "Archiva". (See also Vicau-Genehal; Ahchives, Ecclesia.stical.)

LXmmeu, Inftlitutionen des kaiholisckim Kirchcnrcchts, 2d ed. (Freiburg, 1S92); Baart. Lraal Formulary, 3d ed. (New York. 1899); AlEisTKH, Das licamlrnrcchl dcr Erzdiiizesc f'reiburo (Stuttgart, 1904); Mi i,i,kii. Die hischujlwhcn Diozesanbehvrden, iTVibestrndere das hvicholHche Ordinariai (Stuttsart, 190.5); KoiiRNiEB. Ijes ofiinaliUs au mot/m-'inc, etc. (Pari.s, 1880): KliKUTZWALD in Kirchenkx., s. v. Officialat, IX, 781-83; ANDRfc Wagner, Diet, de droit canon (Paris, 1901), 3d ed.. s. v. Official, OlTicialite.

Joseph Laurentius.

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