Who are the chief actors and offices responsible for ordinary jurisdiction at the diocesan level?

• A. The diocesan bishop (the ordinary), his vicar general, his chancellor, and the presbyteral council, with parish pastors and other presbyters acting under their authority.
• B. The Holy See and the College of Cardinals.
• C. Parish priests and parish councils only.
• D. The diocesan finance committee and education office.

Answer: (A)

Ordinary jurisdiction in a diocese is held by the diocesan bishop, who is the ordinary for that territory. He governs not only in person but through the diocesan curia, a small set of offices that assist in ruling the diocese. The vicar general acts as the bishop’s principal deputy with broad authority to administer on his behalf. The chancellor handles the records and official acts of the diocese, ensuring that acts and documents are properly promulgated and preserved. The presbyteral council, composed of the priests of the diocese, assists the bishop in governance and in making strategic decisions that affect the whole diocese. Within this framework, parish pastors and other presbyters carry out their ministries in their own parishes, but they do so under the bishop’s authority and in accord with diocesan policy.

The Holy See and the College of Cardinals belong to universal governance and do not exercise ordinary jurisdiction at the diocesan level. Likewise, while diocesan offices like a finance committee or an education office support administration, they do not themselves constitute the principal actors who exercise the diocese’s ordinary jurisdiction.