The Role of Bishops in the Medieval Church

The bishops were the principal officers of the medieval Catholic Church in the regions and cities of Christendom. Each bishop governed a diocese — a territorial unit of the Church — and he had authority over the clergy and the laity of his diocese. The bishops were responsible for the ordination of priests and deacons, the confirmation of the faithful, the consecration of churches and altars, the administration of the sacraments, and the discipline of the clergy and the laity of his diocese. The bishop was also a major landowner, a major political figure, and a major patron of the arts in his diocese.

The standard treatment is Robert Brentano, “Two Churches: England and Italy in the Thirteenth Century” (1968), and the older work of C. R. Cheney, “From Becket to Langton: English Church Government 1170–1213” (1956). The page below uses both, and the surviving bishops’ registers and the Registrum of the Canterbury archbishops as primary material.

The Ordination of the Clergy

The bishop was the ordinary minister of the sacrament of holy orders in the medieval Church, and he was responsible for the ordination of priests and deacons in his diocese. The ordination was a solemn ceremony in which the bishop laid his hands on the candidate and prayed for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The ordination conferred an indelible spiritual character on the candidate, and the ordained priest was consecrated for the service of the Church. The bishop alone had the power to ordain priests and deacons, and the priest ordained by a heretical or schismatic bishop was considered validly ordained but illicitly ordained.

The bishop’s role in the ordination of priests was an important element of his authority in the diocese. The bishop was the gatekeeper of the priesthood, and he had the power to refuse ordination to candidates who were unworthy or unprepared. The bishop was also the supervisor of the priests of his diocese, and he had the power to transfer, suspend, or depose priests who failed in their duties. The bishop’s role in the ordination and supervision of priests was a major element of his authority in the medieval Church.

The Confirmation of the Faithful

The bishop was the ordinary minister of the sacrament of confirmation in the medieval Church, and he was responsible for the confirmation of the faithful in his diocese. The confirmation was a solemn ceremony in which the bishop anointed the candidate with the holy chrism (a mixture of olive oil and balsam consecrated by the bishop on Holy Thursday) and prayed for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The confirmation was a completion of the sacrament of baptism, and it conferred on the candidate the strength to defend the faith and to witness to Christ in the world.

The bishop’s role in the confirmation of the faithful was an important element of his pastoral ministry. The bishop was expected to visit the parishes of his diocese on a regular basis (a visitation), and the visitation was a major occasion for the confirmation of the faithful. The visitation was also a major occasion for the inspection of the parish churches, the inspection of the clergy, the hearing of complaints, and the correction of abuses. The visitation was a major element of the bishop’s pastoral ministry, and it was an important element of the Church’s discipline.

The Consecration of Churches and Altars

The bishop was the ordinary minister of the consecration of churches and altars in the medieval Church. The consecration of a church was a solemn ceremony in which the bishop anointed the walls and the altar of the church with holy chrism and prayed for the dedication of the church to the service of God. The consecration of an altar was a similar ceremony in which the bishop anointed the altar and prayed for the dedication of the altar to the celebration of the Mass. The consecration of a church or an altar was a major event in the life of a diocese, and it was typically attended by the clergy and the people of the diocese.

The bishop’s role in the consecration of churches and altars was an important element of his pastoral ministry. The bishop had the power to refuse consecration to churches that were unworthy or improperly built, and he had the power to require the rebuilding or repair of churches that were in disrepair. The bishop was also the supervisor of the sacred vessels, the sacred vestments, and the sacred music of his diocese, and he had the power to inspect and correct the liturgical practices of the parishes of his diocese.

The Administration of the Sacraments

The bishop was the ordinary minister of the sacraments of confirmation and holy orders in the medieval Church, and he was also the minister of the sacraments of penance and unction in certain circumstances. The bishop was the ordinary minister of confirmation, and he was the minister of penance in cases of reserved sins (sins that could be absolved only by the bishop or by a priest specifically authorized by the bishop). The bishop was also the minister of unction in certain cases, especially in the anointing of the sick and the dying.

The bishop’s role in the administration of the sacraments was an important element of his pastoral ministry. The bishop was the guarantor of the validity of the sacraments in his diocese, and he had the power to inspect and correct the sacramental practices of the parishes of his diocese. The bishop was also the judge of canonical cases relating to the sacraments — marriage, baptism, confirmation — and he had the power to annul marriages, to declare baptisms invalid, and to correct other sacramental abuses.

The Discipline of the Clergy and the Laity

The bishop was the ordinary judge of the discipline of the clergy and the laity of his diocese. The bishop’s court — the official or chancellor of the diocese — heard cases relating to the discipline of the clergy, the validity of marriages, the testamentary disputes, and the ecclesiastical offenses of the laity. The bishop’s court had the power to impose penalties on the clergy and the laity — suspension, excommunication, interdict, and other canonical penalties — and the bishop’s court was the primary forum for the resolution of ecclesiastical disputes.

The bishop’s role in the discipline of the clergy and the laity was an important element of his pastoral ministry. The bishop was the guardian of the moral and doctrinal purity of his diocese, and he had the power to correct the abuses of the clergy and the laity of his diocese. The bishop was also the protector of the rights of the clergy and the laity of his diocese, and he had the power to defend them against the secular authorities. The bishop’s role in the discipline of the clergy and the laity was a major element of his pastoral ministry, and it was a major element of the Church’s discipline.

The Bishop as Landowner

The bishop was typically a major landowner in his diocese, and he derived a significant portion of his income from the rents and dues of his estates. The bishop’s estates were typically managed by a steward or bailiff, and the bishop’s estates were typically organized on the same feudal principles as the estates of the secular lords. The bishop was also a major patron of the arts and learning in his diocese, and he supported the churches, the monasteries, the schools, and the hospitals of his diocese.

The bishop’s role as a landowner was an important element of his temporal power. The bishop was often a major political figure in his diocese, and he was often involved in the politics of the kingdom. The bishop of Canterbury, for example, was a major political figure in medieval England, and the bishop of Reims was a major political figure in medieval France. The bishop’s temporal power was often a source of conflict with the secular authorities, and the bishop often defended his temporal rights against the secular authorities through the canonical courts and the papal curia.

The Bishop as Political Figure

The bishop was often a major political figure in his diocese and in his kingdom. The bishop was often a member of a noble family, and the bishop often combined the spiritual authority of his office with the secular power of his family. The bishop of Canterbury, for example, was often a member of a noble family, and the archbishop often played a major role in the politics of the realm — as the murder of Thomas Becket in 1170 dramatically demonstrated.

The bishop’s role as a political figure was an important element of his temporal power. The bishop was often a member of the king’s council, and the bishop often served as a diplomat and negotiator in the service of the king. The bishop of Beauvais, Philip of Dreux, for example, was a major political figure in medieval France, and he served as regent of the kingdom during the absence of King Philip II Augustus on the Third Crusade.

Sources

Principal sources used in this article:

Colin Morris, The Papal Monarchy (Oxford, 1989), pt. 1.

Further reading:

Robert Brentano, Two Churches: England and Italy in the Thirteenth Century (Princeton, 1968).

For a recent single-volume synthesis with full scholarly apparatus, see the relevant chapter of Barbara H. Rosenwein, A Short History of the Middle Ages (University of Toronto Press, 2014).