A vicar general (often abbreviated VG) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ordinary executive power over the entire diocese. The title normally occurs only in Western Christian churches, such as the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion. The title for the equivalent officer in the Eastern churches is protosyncellus. In the broadest sense, a vicar (from the Latin vicarius) is anyone acting as a substitute or agent for a superior (compare vicarious). In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant. ... Pope Pius XI, depicted in this window at Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace, Honolulu, was ordinary of the universal Roman Catholic Church and local ordinary of Rome. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ...

Catholic dioceses

A diocesan bishop must appoint at least one vicar general for his diocese, but may appoint more – larger archdioceses routinely have two or even three. The vicar general by virtue of office is the bishop's agent in administrative matters, acting as a sort of second-in-command for the diocese (a priest in a separate post, judicial vicar, serves a similar role in the diocesan ecclesiastical court). Vicars general must be priests, auxiliary bishops, or coadjutor bishops – according to Canon 406 of the Code of Canon Law, if a coadjutor bishop exists for a diocese, the diocesan bishop is to appoint him vicar general. Other auxiliary bishops are appointed vicars general or at least episcopal vicars. A mitre is used as a symbol of the bishops ministry. ... Pope Pius XI blesses Bishop Stephen Alencastre as fifth Apostolic Vicar of the Hawaiian Islands in a Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace window. ... In the Roman Catholic Church, a judicial vicar is an officer of the diocese who has ordinary power to judge cases in the diocesan ecclesiastical court. ... An ecclesiastical court (also called Court Christian) is any of certain courts having jurisdiction mainly in spiritual or religious matters. ... Roman Catholic priest A priest or priestess is a holy man or woman who takes an officiating role in worship of any religion, with the distinguishing characteristic of offering sacrifices. ... An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial... Archbishop Jerome Hanus of the Archdiocese of Dubuque, Dubuque, Iowa. ... In Western culture, canon law is the law of the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches. ...

The similarly titled episcopal vicar shares in the bishop's ordinary power just like the vicar general, but whereas the vicar general's authority extends over all administrative matters in the entire diocese (save what the bishop specifically chooses to hold only for himself), the episcopal vicars' authority normally extends over only a particular geographic section of a diocese or over certain specific matters, such as affairs of religious orders or the faithful of a different rite. These too must be priests or auxiliary bishop(s). The equivalent officer in the Eastern Rite Churches is called the syncellus. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Monasticism. ... An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial... George the Syncellus (died after 810) was a Byzantine chronicler and ecclesiastic. ...

Priests appointed as vicars general or episcopal vicars are freely appointed or removed by the diocesan bishop, and must be appointed for a fixed duration. They lose their office when the term expires, or when the episcopal see falls vacant (Canon 481). Auxiliary bishops may also be removed from the office of vicar general, but must at least be appointed episcopal vicar. An auxiliary bishop who is an episcopal vicar, or a coadjutor bishop who is vicar general, may only be removed from office for a grave reason (Canon 193). Likewise, while they lose their vicar general or episcopal vicar office sede vacante, they retain the powers of the office until the succeeding bishop takes over the diocese (Canon 409). A coadjutor bishop has right of succession as coadjutor, so if the see falls vacant he becomes the diocesan bishop immediately. Sede vacante is the vacancy of the episcopal see of a particular church in the Canon law of the Roman Catholic Church. ... An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial...

(These offices should not be confused with the vicar forane or "dean", as those vicars do not have ordinary executive power.) Apostolic vicariate is a type of Roman Catholic diocese for non-Catholic or missionary regions and countries. ... In the broadest sense, a vicar (from the Latin vicarius) is anyone acting as a substitute or agent for a superior (compare vicarious). In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant. ...

The appointment of a vicar general is also a useful tool for a diocesan bishop who has additional functions attached to his episcopate. The most notable example is what occurs in the diocese of Rome. The Pope is the diocesan bishop of Rome, but since he must spend most of his time governing the Latin rite church and the global Catholic Church, his vicar general functions as the de facto bishop of the diocese.^[1] The Vicar General of Rome also serves the same role for the suburbicarian diocese of Ostia, the traditional see of the Dean of the College of Cardinals, since it was merged with the diocese of Rome. The Vicar General of Rome, who is normally a cardinal, known as the Cardinal Vicar, is one of the few church officials in Rome to remain in office sede vacante.^[2] The current Vicar General of Rome is Cardinal Camillo Ruini. Nickname: The Eternal City Motto: SPQR: Senatus PopulusQue Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 8th century BC Mayor Walter Veltroni Area    - City 1,285 km²  (496. ... The current Pope is Benedict XVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger), who was elected at the age of 78 on 19 April 2005. ... De facto is a Latin expression that means in fact or in practice. It is commonly used as opposed to de jure (meaning by law) when referring to matters of law or governance or technique (such as standards), that are found in the common experience as created or developed without... Cardinal Vicar is the title of the the vicar general of the Pope, as Bishop of Rome, for the spiritual administration of the city, and its surrounding district, known in Latin as Vicarius Urbis. ... The seven suburbicarian dioceses are Roman Catholic dioceses located in the suburbs that surround Rome, reserved for he highest order of Cardinals. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... A see (from the Latin word sedem, meaning seat) is the throne (cathedra) of a bishop. ... The Dean of the College of Cardinals is the president of the College of Cardinals in the Roman Catholic Church and as such is always a Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church of the episcopal order. ... A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official in the Roman Catholic Church, ranking just below the Pope and appointed by him as a member of the College of Cardinals during a consistory. ... Cardinal Vicar is the title of the the vicar general of the Pope, as Bishop of Rome, for the spiritual administration of the city, and its surrounding district, known in Latin as Vicarius Urbis. ... Cardinal Camillo Ruini Camillo Cardinal Ruini, born February 19, 1931 in Sassuolo, Italy, is a Roman Catholic Cardinal Priest. ...

A similar example is found in the United States, where the archbishop of New York functioned also as ordinary of the military services from World War I until the 1980s: in addition to being responsible for the archdiocese of New York, that same archbishop was also responsible for the Military Ordinariate, which had the status of an apostolic vicariate, and functioned as the equivalent of a diocese defined by quality (that is, all Catholic members of the U.S. military and their dependents) rather than by geography. The archbishop had two separate administrations, therefore, and two sets of vicars general to manage each. This arrangement ended with the establishment of the wholly separate Archdiocese of the Military Services, U.S.A. Apostolic vicariate is a particular church of the Roman Catholic Church for non-Catholic or missionary regions and countries which do not have a diocese yet. ...

Anglican

Vicars-General retain important administrative and judicial functions in the Church of England. The Church of England is the officially established Christian church[1] in England, and acts as the mother and senior branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion, as well as a founding member of the Porvoo Communion. ...

References

1. ^ Pope John Paul II (1998), Article 10, Apostolic Constitution Ecclesia in Urbe (in Italian)
2. ^ Article 13, Ibid