The Bishop: A Successor to the Apostles

Bill Cork had a great post the other day on the theology of the espiscopacy and the respect and deference due to bishops. As Bill writes, "The bishop, in Catholic teaching, is not some dispensable figurehead or middle manager or papal delegate: he is vicar of Christ for the local Church of which he is pastor." Exactly. It was only a couple of years ago that I came to this understanding, in the sense that it "clicked" for me. Bill includes a post from Fr. Keyes, who in turn quotes St. Ignatius of Antioch: "Let us be careful, then, not to set ourselves in opposition to the bishop, in order that we may be subject to God." Amen.