Titled nobility: Why auxiliary bishops get the keys to ancient dioceses
The following is part of Angelus’ special reporting on the historic ordination of four new auxiliary bishops for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles Sept. 26, 2023.
They will be ordained as auxiliary bishops of Los Angeles — but they’ll hold titles to churches distant in time and space.
Albert Matta Bahhuth will be titular bishop of the Diocese of Vadesi in Numidia, an ancient kingdom in northern Africa. Matthew Gregory Elshoff, OFM Cap., will lay claim to the Church in Lamzella, also in Numidia. Brian Alan Nunes will possess authority over the Diocese of Kearney, Nebraska. And Slawomir Szkredka will hold keys to the church of Vicus Turris, another northern African town from the time of the Roman Empire.
Each of these places was once the administrative center of a Catholic diocese. Over time, however, the local Christian population declined or disappeared — or its center shifted to another city. The diocese was then suppressed.