Reference articles on history, science, culture and more
Surprise meSurprise meSubscribe
Encyclopedia

Dicastery for Bishops

Department of the Roman Curia

Wikipedia contributorsAdapted for Fathomly · View authors
4 min read
Source updated September 8, 2026
Image credit is listed at the end of this article.

The Dicastery for Bishops, formerly named Congregation for Bishops (Latin: Congregatio pro Episcopis), is the dicastery of the Roman Curia of the Catholic Church that oversees the selection of most new bishops. Its proposals require papal approval to take effect, but are usually followed. The Dicastery also schedules the visits at five-year intervals ("ad limina") that bishops are required to make to Rome, when they meet with the pope and various departments of the Curia. It also manages the formation of new dioceses. It is one of the more influential Dicasteries, since it strongly influences the human resources policy of the church.

The jurisdiction of the Dicastery does not extend to mission territories, under the Dicastery for Evangelization, or areas managed by the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches (which has responsibility for all Eastern Catholics, and for Latin Catholics in the Middle East and Greece). Where appointment of bishops and changes in diocesan boundaries require consultation with civil governments, the Secretariat of State has primary responsibility, but must consult the Dicastery for Bishops. The Dicastery also have oversight of investigations into allegations of abuse and negligence by bishops.

The Dicastery for Bishops has jurisdiction over the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, and the dicastery's prefect also serves as the commission's president.

01History

The Dicastery for Bishops has its origins in the "Congregation for the Erection of Churches and Consistorial Provisions", commonly known as "Concistorial Congregation", founded by Pope Sixtus V on 22 January 1588. Before the Second Vatican Council, when the pope announced the names of new cardinals at a Secret Consistory, that is, a consistory that only churchmen attended, the names of new cardinals would be read out, followed by those of archbishops and bishops.

The congregation of Bishops and Regulars was suppressed by Pope Pius X with the apostolic constitution Sapienti Consilio of June 29, 1908 and responsibilities regarding bishops and seminaries passed to the Consistorial Congregation (while those concerning religious went to the new Congregation for Religious).

The name was changed from the Sacred Consistorial Congregation to the Congregation for Bishops in 1967.

On 13 July 2022, Pope Francis appointed women as members of this Dicastery for the first time, two religious and one laywoman (Raffaella Petrini, Yvonne Reungoat, and María Lía Zervino). In addition, Pope Leo XIV appointed Sr. Simona Brambilla, M.C., prefect of the Dicastery for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life, as member of the Dicastery for Bishops on 14 February 2026.

Current procedure

The Dicastery's members who live in Rome meet every other Thursday for an entire morning. Appointments for four dioceses are reviewed in a typical session. Before the meeting, dicastery members are sent documentation on the candidates for each diocese. At the meeting, one member takes the role of the presenter (ponente), reviews the information and makes his own recommendation from the list (terna) of three candidates. Each member, in order of seniority, offers his assessment. The Dicastery's recommendations, including any doubts, questions or minority opinions, are sent to the pope. He usually approves the dicastery's decision, but may choose to send it back for further discussion and evaluation. The prefect then meets with the pope every Saturday and presents the recommendations of the dicastery. A few days later, the pope informs the dicastery of his decision. The dicastery then notifies the nuncio, who in turn contacts the candidate and asks if he will accept the appointment.

Course of Formation for New Bishops

Every September the Dicastery holds the "Annual Course of Formation for New Bishops", also known as "New Bishop School" and informally "Baby Bishop School". Attendance is mandatory for those ordained in the previous year. Topics are spiritual and practical, from imitating the leadership of Jesus to handling crises. There was a particular focus on "synodality", which was defined as listening and engaging the faithful. The event also involves meeting the pope.

There are talks such as on the new media in relation to evangelisation; and the rapport between psychological development and spiritual commitment. There were also talks on administration, canon law, and the reform of the Roman Curia.

02Leadership

Prefect of Dicastery for Bishops
Incumbent
Filippo Iannone
since 26 September 2025
Dicastery for Bishops
StyleHis Excellency
Member ofRoman Curia
Reports toThe Pope
Appointer
Term length
  • Five years, renewable
Constituting instrument Immense
Pastor Bonus
Formation22 January 1588
First holderDomenico Riviera

Secretaries of the Congregation for the Erection of Churches and Consistorial Provisions (1588-1965)

Prefects

In 1965, the head of the congregation took the title prefect, while the prefect's deputy took that of secretary.

Secretaries

The secretary of the Dicastery for Bishops is concurrently the secretary of the College of Cardinals. During a papal election the secretary of the Dicastery acts as the secretary to the conclave.

Watch videos about Dicastery for BishopsExplainers and documentaries on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Dicastery for Bishops”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

Images, from Wikimedia Commons:

Fathomly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Spotted a problem? Tell us.

Continue exploring

Related topics

Appointment of Catholic bishops

The appointment of bishops in the Catholic Church is a complicated process. Outgoing bishops, neighbouring bishops, the faithful, the apostolic nuncio, various members of the Roman Curia, and the pope all have a role in the selection.

Congregation of Bishops and Regulars

The Congregation of Bishops and Regulars was a department of the Roman Curia that, beginning in the late 16th century, managed the diocesan bishops and the individuals and establishments, both male and female, associated with religious orders. It was also concerned with the relationship, at times contentious, between the two.