Kształtowanie się urzędów protosyncela i syncela w prawie kanonicznym Katolickich Kościołów Wschodnich

Abstract

The office of syncellus has a centenary tradition. Initially, this was not a formal office, but a companion function of the daily life of the bishop, wishing to continue in some form a monastic life. Over time, syncellus have gained an important position in eparchy and their role has become institutionalized. Under the influence of the legal order of the Latin Church, this office became similar to the vicar general in the West and most often he also adopted the name of the Latin Church from which the codification of the twentieth century was removed. The universal legislator in the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches envisages that in every eparch a protosincel should be established, if it’s necessary, the episcopal bishop has the possibility of appointing more of the syncelluses. Syncellus enjoys the same power as the protosincellus, but – importantly – its power is narrowed to the eparchial bishop specified in the act of nomination to the territorial area, or to the distinct group of persons, or to the specific type of case. The Code also includes the catalog of qualifications expected of candidates for these offices and the circumstances in which a priest is excluded from the list of candidates. By right the episcopal bishop is obliged to entrust his coadjutor bishop or auxiliary bishop the office of protosyncellus, and when there are more bishops, then one of them nominate protosyncellus and the other syncellus. Unlike the priests entrusted with the office of protosyncellus or syncellus, the auxiliary bishop holds office for an indefinite period of time.