Q: In the resources being prepared around the appointment of a new bishop to a diocese, to be put on the website of our episcopal conference, we want to include advice about what to do with “N our bishop” in the Eucharistic Prayer.
Clearly a priest Diocesan Administrator is not named. Your USCCB is quoted as saying that a bishop Apostolic Administrator is to be named, because regardless of office, he is the sign of Apostolic Communion.
Two of us disagree and hold that only the bishop of the diocese is named in the EP (noting the provision made in the Roman Missal for adding the names of coadjutor and auxiliary bishops).
When a bishop is appointed Apostolic Administrator of a diocese between the previous and next bishops of the diocese, what is correct and why?
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A: I checked with a colleague here because I remember praying for our bishop apostolic administrator by name between our last two bishops.
He referred me to this article: https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/mentioning-bishops-in-the-eucharistic-prayers-4503. It cites a study in Notitiae (2009) 45:308-320, which you can find here: http://www.cultodivino.va/content/cultodivino/it/rivista-notitiae/indici-annate/2009/513-514.html.
Here’s the link to the statement from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops https://www.usccb.org/about/divine-worship/newsletter/upload/newsletter-2013-03.pdf.
It appears to be a local interpretation, but at least you can read the argumentation there.