Bishop in the Local Church

The article »Bishop in the Local Church« deals, first, with the ecclesiastical scene on which a catholic Bishop performs his functions. The marks and the differences between the local and the universal Church have been compared in qualitative and quantitative sense. Then, the author, following the doctrine of the Vatican Council II, in particular Lumen Gentium and Christus Dominus, treats the three well known offices of the Bishop: teaching, consecrating and governing. In this part he exposes the main guidelines of the Vatican II with regard to the Bishop’s functions which are given through episcopal ordination, but ordered to action by his admission into the communion with the Pope and the other Bishops of the Curch. Finally, the author pays a special attention to the Bishop’s relations concerning the universal and local Church, the diocesan priests, religious and other faithful in his diocese. By episcopal consecration a man becomes a member of the College o f apostolic successors, but by his holy life and Christian love he fulfills his Bishop’s authority acting as teacher of the faith, administrator of the mysteries of God and coordinator of the pastoral initiatives in his local Church