Q: Our diocese just celebrated the right of election and many people complained that the bishop did not sign the book of elect. Can you explain to me why it is not proper for the bishop to sign the book of elect?
A: The signatures that belong in the book are those of the catechumens being numbered among the elect. The bishop’s signature has never been a part of this ceremony, not even in early church history. However, after the implementation of the post-Vatican II RCIA, some publishers began printing Books of the Elect with a place for the bishop to sign on every page. That may have caused the practice to spread, but the RCIA has never called for it.