Complex process yields next Anchorage archbishop

CatholicAnchor.org
On July 3, 2015, Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz turned 75, the age at which all Catholic bishops must submit their resignation to the pope in accordance with church law.

When dropping his resignation letter in the mail 16 months ago Archbishop Schwietz had no idea when his successor would be named or who he would be.

He did know, however, that the process often takes a while. Reflecting on what became a 16-month span, he told the Catholic Anchor it was a time of grace.

He celebrated his 25-year anniversary as a bishop at the same time he submitted his resignation. It inspired a flood of emotions and deep gratitude for his 10 years as bishop in Duluth, Minn., and 15 years as archbishop of Anchorage.

However, as the months rolled by he became curious about who would follow him as head of the archdiocese.

“Probably my biggest concern was that it be someone who would be a good pastoral bishop,” he said.

CHOOSING A BISHOP BEGINS LOCALLY

The process of selecting a new bishop is complex and often lengthy. It involves numerous church officials but the ultimate decision always rests with the pope himself. Those who assist with the multi-layered effort are bound by confidentiality.

The process begins at the local diocesan level. All bishops of that region are invited to submit to the area archbishop the names of priests from their dioceses that they believe would make a good bishop. In the case of Alaska, the bishops from Juneau and Fairbanks meet with the archbishop of Anchorage. These bishops gather annually and go over the background and experience of any recommended priests. They then choose men they believe are qualified.

NATIONAL CONSIDERATION

The names of these priests are then sent to the apostolic nuncio, the pope’s representative to both the government and bishops of a nation. In the United States, the nuncio is Archbishop Christophe Pierre, whose office is in Washington, D.C. It’s his job to investigate recommended priests’ worthiness to become a bishop. He does this, in part, by sending a survey to 20 to 30 people who know the candidate personally. He also may contact others.

When a diocese is to be vacated by a retiring bishop or archbishop, the outgoing prelate is asked for a summary of his diocese, including any unique situations or pastoral needs. Former bishops of that diocese may also be contacted, along with the other bishops.

The nuncio then narrows the list down for a diocese or archdiocese to three priests, known as “the terna.” These men may be from the recommendations of the local bishops or from elsewhere in the country. The final list is then sent to the Vatican for consideration by the Congregation for Bishops.

VATICAN WEIGHS IN

Once the list reaches the Congregation for Bishops, a cardinal is assigned to summarize the recommendations and present them to the entire congregation, which meets twice a month. At this point, the congregation discusses and votes on whom to appoint a new bishop. Although the nuncio indicates his preference, the congregation may choose anyone from the list, or at times request a new list.

After reaching a decision, the head of the Congregation for Bishops meets privately with the pope and presents their recommendations. The Holy Father considers the matter, and then notifies the congregation of his approval. They in turn notify the nuncio who then places a private phone call to the selected candidate to see if he accepts the appointment. If he does, the retiring archbishop is notified of the pope’s decision.

ACCEPTING THE CALL

Cheyenne, Wyoming, Bishop Paul Etienne was nearing the end of a long day on Saturday, Sept. 24. After traveling around his diocese to give some presentations, he had settled in to rest for the evening.

After seven years leading the faithful in all of Wyoming, he said there had been a sense in his diocese that he may be transferred in the not-too-distant future.

“It was getting difficult to have a conversation without someone asking, ‘How much longer are you going to be here?’” he told the Catholic Anchor.

That question was answered with a call from the nuncio’s office on Sept. 24.

“One of the priests from the nunciature called around 5:15 p.m. to tell me that the Holy Father, Pope Francis, had named me the next Archbishop of Anchorage,” he recalled. “I was stunned.”

Before immediately saying, ‘Yes,’ Bishop Etienne asked for a day to pray about it, which the office honored.

“I did not sleep much at all Saturday night,” he said. “I had Mass Sunday morning at the cathedral, and knew then that I would say, ‘Yes.’ My mind and my gut were reeling, but my heart was at peace. I have promised to follow the Lord wherever he leads, and have done my best to do so all my life. This was not the time to start second guessing him, or to claim selfish reasons for saying, ‘No.’”

Bishop Etienne was allowed to tell his family and a couple of close confidants the news, which was very helpful in “keeping him company” until the Holy Father made the public announcement on Oct. 4.

NOTIFYING ALASKA

Archbishop Schwietz received the news the next day, during a visit with Anchorage’s seminarians in St. Paul, Minn. He was reading in his room at the seminary, waiting to start a meeting with a seminarian, when the nuncio’s office called saying a successor had been chosen.

Before proceeding with the seminarian meetings, Archbishop Schwietz took a moment to call Bishop Etienne.

He chuckled as he recalled, “I then had to go on with the meetings with the seminarians knowing that I wasn’t the one making decisions about them anymore, but of course I couldn’t tell them.”

Although he couldn’t say anything publicly for about a week, he did get the chance to share the news with Juneau Bishop Edward Burns and Fairbanks Bishop Chad Zielinski so they could prepare to welcome the new archbishop.

Archbishop Schwietz is deeply impressed with Bishop Etienne and his spirit of collaboration.

“He is a very spiritual person, deeply in love with the Lord and a good people person,” he said. “The pope couldn’t have chosen a better person to come here, as far as I’m concerned.”