Los Angeles, Calif., May 2, 2010 / 17:13 pm
Responding to the designation of Archbishop Jose Gomez as the next head of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, the archdiocese’s paper has explained the role of the bishop in the Catholic Church.
It explains that the local church, called a diocese, is a “community of faithful” with and under the authority of their bishop. This bishop in turn is in union with the Pope and other Catholic bishops throughout the world. This global union of bishops is known as the College of Bishops, The Tidings says.
This is in contrast to other Christian groups which see individual church communities as autonomous and independent, joined in a voluntary association of similar communities. It likewise differs from presbyterial churches governed by a regional council of ordained ministers, or episcopal churches joined in union with a national body of bishops.
The local bishop heading a diocese is known as an “ordinary” and is the successor of the Apostles in his own diocese.