Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-02-27
MANNER OF CHOOSING
NEW ARCHBISHOP
How Vacancy Caused by
Death Will Be Filled
by Pope Benedict
FIRST UNDER NEW RULE
Pontitf Already Has List Of Nomi-
nations--Bishop McCort Prob
ably Administrator
FIRST UNDER NEW RULE

The episcopal vacancy caused by the
death Of Archbishop Prcndergast will he
The first TO he filled IN this country
under the now canon law. promulgated
year ago By the Sacred Congregation
ot Cardinals of the Roman Catholic
Church.
Under the new law the names of the
candidates. as proposed by the bishops
OF the Province Of Pennsylvania are
already in Rome and have been there
for several months past
Tho first step taken after the arch:
hlshops death was the official notiilca-
tion Of the Pope. This message was
sent through Archbishop John Bouzano.
pal delegate at Washington. AS soon
as tho word can be got TO Pope Benedict
and its receipt acknowledged the Pope
will appoint an administrator for the
archdiocese OF Philadelphia, who will be,
in effect, acting archbishop until Arch
bishop Prendergasts successor is APP
pointed This remains in the new law
as in the old.
TO I'LL the period Until such an admin
istrator Is appointed by the Pope the
canon law provides that the archbishop
must provide for n temporary admins
traitor In his will. This man is later
superseded by the appointee of the Pope.
The probability Ia that the Right Rev.
.Tohn ]. McCort, auxiliary bishop OF
Philadelphia, will he appointed admin
istrator This would bo following the
course taken at the death os Archbishop
Ryan. The then Bishop Prendergast
was appointed administrator The aux
iliary bishop being an assistant to tAc
archbishop, his appointment as admin
istrator would be the most probable
action.
Tho appointment of an archbishop
comes entirely under the jurisdiction Of
the Pope. lie can select one Of the
present bishops 10 head the archdiocese
or may take n newly created bishop as
the next archbishop.
BISHOP HIGHEST ORDER
There are no higher orders in the
Catholic Church than those OF bishop.
The Offices OF archbishop ana Pope are
In relation to jurisdiction and do not
refer to the priestly functions per-
formed \ cardinalate Is au office OF
honor. The holder OF Il. according To
the strict Interpretation Of ccclcsia stical
Jaw. need not be even q priest. How
ever, for many years the popeS have
not created any cardinals except from
among the archbiShops. This did mol
increase the jurisdiction of these arch.
bishops. The only added privilege was
a seat in the College Of Cardinals, giving
them q voice in the selection Of II new
Pope.
The new archbishop may oven ht
brought from u province other thar
that Of Pennsylvania. An instance o'
this came In Archbishop Prcndergast's 5
predecessor. Archbishop Ryan wa,
brought to Philadelphia from st Louis
where he was coadju.or bishop with tn,
right of succession.
ACNOMATICALL.y ARCHBISHOP
The man appointed to the bishoprlc o
Philadelphia automatically become
archbishop and metropolitan of the prov
ince OF Pennsylvania. This includes tn
archdiocese of Philadelphia and fv
dioceses-those Of Pittsburgh. Erie
scranton, Altoona and Harrisburg. Th
archdiocese embraces the counties OF
Philadelphia, Berls. Bucks. Carbon
chester. Delaware, Lehigh. Montgomery
northampton and SchuyllSill.
The bishop of each diocese is the spir
itual head. under the Pope, of that &c
clesiastical division. The archblsho,
may be said to bear the same relation
10 the bishops as the Governor of
state does to tho Mayors of the elite
within that State. except that an arch
bishop also has particular jurisdlctio
over one of the divisions Of the browne,
In the archdiocese the archbishop bear
the same relation TO its regulation as tn
bishop does in the ordinary diocese.
II n bishop Is selected by the Pope I
be archbishop OF Philadelphia there prob
ably will be vacancy left in some die
cese Of the United States.
PRACTICE UNDER OLD CANON
Under the old canon law the diocesa
consultors and irremoyable rectors Of tn
diocese in which the vacancy occurre
would meet in diocesan conferenc
They would select 'terna"--a list {
three which would be fol
warded to the bishops of the provinc
They would either approve the terna
the priests or would provide "a substitut
for IT, If they rejected the priests tern.
the bishops would have TO give reason
for their action and forward the same {
Rome
The tefna would then be placed befoI
the Pope for his considera tion. lie WI
not bound, however-and is not no
bound-to make a selection from anon
the men OF the terna. There have bee
instances where Popes appointed men
bishops who had not been even mel
toned for the position.