[WilliamReading]

In the organizational sense, every bishop is supposed to take care of his own diocese. He can’t be voted out, nor can the Pope just “fire” him.

A bishop can’t be fired? And are not Priests “employees” of the Catholic Church?

[Mrs. Don-o]

Well, no. A pope can't just fire a bishop. A bishop is not exactly an employee of the Pope or the Vatican or any such entity (legally) and there is even (legal) controversy over whether a priest is an employee of his bishop, or of his diocese, or whether he is a kind of independent contractor. (Strange but true. I'm speaking of civil law here, and I can't even begin to understand the legalities.)

There are options, though. A bishop can have his authority curtailed, as Seattle Archbishop Raymond Hunthausen's was, back in the 1980's, when the Pope appointed an auxiliary bishop for him who basically took over most of his job. Or he could be reassigned to someplace where he can't get into trouble, as when the wacky Emmanuel Milingo, Archbishop of Lusaka (Zambia) was appointed to be in charge of "Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples" (in Rome) where he would be under the watchful eye of other senior clerics.

It's not simple. But watch. More will be happening.

Some are even predicting a schism, and the emergence of an apostate American Catholic Church. Schism is never a good thing, but in some ways we have an internal, undercover schism going on right now, with "defectors in place" --- I'm speaking of laypeople, theologians, nuns, priests and bishops --- who are in quiet mutiny against the Church and who may be pushed to the point of openly splitting.

This would be awful, but even strong medicine is sometimes therapuetic.