Archbishop Jerome Hanus of the Archdiocese of Dubuque, Dubuque, Iowa. Archbishop Jerome George Hanus, OSB (born May 26 1940) is a Bishop of the Roman Catholic Church and the current Archbishop of The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the northeastern quarter of the state of Iowa in Dubuque is a city in the US State of Iowa, located along the Mississippi River. In 1994 he was appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Dubuque. One year later when Archbishop Kucera retired, Hanus automatically became the next Archbishop of Dubuque.

A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) is a bishop in the Roman Catholic or Anglican churches who is designated to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese almost as co-bishop of the diocese. See also Anglicanism The Anglican Communion is an international association of national Anglican churches The coadjutor (literally, "co-assister" in Latin) is a bishop himself and is given authority even beyond that ordinarily given to the vicar-general (although a coadjutor is also appointed a vicar-general), making him co-ruler of the diocese in all but ceremonial precedence. A vicar general (often abbreviated VG) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority In modern times, the coadjutor automatically succeeds the current bishop of a diocese upon the latter's retirement, removal or death. In many rites of the Roman Catholic Church and in Anglican churches, a diocese is an administrative territorial unit administered by a Bishop.

Roman Catholic Church

Main article: Bishop (Catholic Church)

In the Roman Catholic Church, a coadjutor bishop is an immediate collaborator of the diocesan bishop, similar to an auxiliary bishop. In the Catholic Church, a Bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the priesthood. See also Bishop (Catholic Church An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a Diocese because Unlike auxiliary bishops, coadjutors are given the automatic right of succession to the episcopal see, meaning that when the diocesan bishop they are assisting dies, retires, resigns, or is reassigned, the coadjutor automatically becomes the next bishop of the particular diocese. An episcopal see is the ecclesiastical domain of authority of a Bishop. Until then, the diocesan bishop appoints the coadjutor to act as vicar general. A vicar general (often abbreviated VG) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority

In modern church practice, the appointment of a coadjutor is usually done in cases where a diocesan bishop feels that he will not be able to continue much longer for health reasons or because he is nearing retirement age. In these cases the Pope will sometimes assign a coadjutor to the diocese in question in order to give the succeeding bishop time to become familiar with the diocese that he will eventually take over. An example of this occurred in 1994 when Archbishop Jerome Hanus was named Coadjutor Archbishop of Dubuque as Archbishop Daniel Kucera was planning to retire. Archbishop Jerome George Hanus, OSB (born May 26 1940) is a Bishop of the Roman Catholic Church and the current Archbishop of The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the northeastern quarter of the state of Iowa in In 1995, Archbishop Kucera retired, and Hanus automatically became the next Archbishop of Dubuque.

At times, the appointment of a coadjutor is used to discreetly remove a diocesan bishop who has become involved in scandal or other problems and replace him with another man. An example of this occurred in the Archdiocese of Dubuque in the 1940s, when then Archbishop Beckman involved the archdiocese in what turned out to be a dubious mining scheme. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the northeastern quarter of the state of Iowa in Archbishop Francis JL Beckman ( October 25, 1875 - October 17, 1948) was a former Archbishop of Dubuque. When the scheme fell apart and the man behind the scam was arrested, the fallout resulted in serious financial problems for Archbishop Beckman and the archdiocese. Because of all of Beckman's problems, Bishop Henry Rohlman of Davenport, Iowa, was appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Dubuque, Iowa. Archbishop Henry Patrick Rohlman ( March 17, 1876 - September 13, 1957) was a former Roman Catholic Bishop and Archbishop Dubuque is a city in the US State of Iowa, located along the Mississippi River. While Beckman was allowed to retain the office of Archbishop, it was made clear to him by the Holy See that the actual power rested with Rohlman. The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome, commonly known as the Pope, and is the preeminent Episcopal see of the Roman Catholic Beckman soon retired and left Dubuque.

Prior to the reform of the Code of Canon Law in 1983, a distinction was made between coadjutor bishops cum jure succesionis and those without -- that is, some coadjutors were appointed with the automatic right of succession, and others without such a right (the latter were usually appointed for archbishops with particularly large dioceses who also held other important posts and to honor certain auxiliary bishops -- for instance, Coadjutor Archbishop John Maguire assisted Cardinal Francis Spellman, who was simultaneously Archbishop of New York and also head of what later became the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, two of the largest archdioceses in the country). John Maguire is the name of John A Maguire (1870-1939 American politician John Aloysius Maguire (1851–1920 Scottish archbishop Francis Joseph Cardinal Spellman ( May 4, 1889 – December 2, 1967) wasthe ninth Bishop and sixth Archbishop of the The Roman Catholic Archdiocese for the Military Services, provides the Roman Catholic Church 's pastoral and spiritual services to those serving in the United States armed

Now, no coadjutor is appointed without the concomitant right of succession.

Anglican Communion

In some provinces of the Anglican Communion, a bishop coadjutor (the form usually used) is a bishop elected or appointed to follow the current diocesan bishop upon the incumbent's death or retirement. An ecclesiastical province is a large jurisdiction of religious government so named by analogy with a secular Province, existing in certain hierarchical Christian See also Anglicanism The Anglican Communion is an international association of national Anglican churches For example, in the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, when a diocesan bishop announces his or her retirement, a special diocesan convention is held to elect a coadjutor. The Episcopal Church is the official name of the Province of the Anglican Communion in the United States. Usually the coadjutor serves with the incumbent for a short time before the latter's retirement, at which time the coadjutor becomes the diocesan bishop.