While not holding my breath, it would be interesting to see more open processes in the selection of bishops. I am not advocating for a pure democratic process—not at all. But, seeing the Cathedral Chapter involved in proposing names, a lay (and stable) entity have a well-defined role, the Vatican being involved with vetting, etc. I wish we could see more of this.

It isn’t clear if the Vatican can strike/add names to the list when they get it (I’d think that would be a nice touch) and, obviously, the pick isn’t official until the Pope grants assent so there is always a final veto possibility.

The Eastern Rite churches work in a similar way, in that they determine the next eparch and asks the Pope to confirm.

The unity of the Church is maintained but the local church has a defined role in the process. One issue is when a single diocese has plenty of bishop-potentials—how do we ensure those guys are involved? Austin has five diocesan priests who are active bishops elsewhere (we’ve never had an ordinary from Austin though).

I’d love to hear from someone on the ground there on what *doesn’t* work or what they need to avoid. https://www.pillarcatholic.com/p/lay-parliament-to-help-pick-new-swiss