Is the parish administrator the same thing as a pastor?

Q: At my parish, our pastor was recently reassigned. Our new priest is listed on the bulletin as "parish administrator." Is that the same thing as being a pastor? Or if not, what's the difference? (Florida)

A: "Parish administrator" is distinct from the office of pastor, but this distinction probably will not make much of a practical difference in your day-to-day experience of parish life.

For some background, the ecclesiastical office that we refer to in the United States as "pastor" is written as "parochus" in the original Latin text of the relevant canon law. But it should be noted that other English-speaking countries translate this differently. For example, in the United Kingdom and Ireland "parochus" is translated as "parish priest" -- which can be confusing for Americans, since we call any priest who happens to be serving in a parish a "parish priest!"

Canon 519 of the Code of Canon Law gives a summary overview of the role of a "parochus," noting that a priest in this role "is the proper pastor [i.e., authoritative spiritual leader] of the parish entrusted to him. He exercises the pastoral care of the community entrusted to him under the authority of the diocesan Bishop, whose ministry of Christ he is called to share, so that for this community he may carry out the offices of teaching, sanctifying and ruling with the cooperation of other priests or deacons and with the assistance of lay members of Christ's faithful, in accordance with the law."

The Code goes on to describe in detail the rights, obligations and responsibilities of a "parochus," but these are too numerous to discuss individually in a short column. But in some sense, a pastor/parish priest is almost like a "mini-bishop" in his own parish. That is, in appointing a priest to this position, the diocesan bishop is lending the priest many of his own governing powers with respect to the parish territory the "parochus" is assigned to.

Beyond a responsibility for overall running the parish, a canonical pastor is able to, for example: witness wedding vows within his parish's territory, whereas other priests generally need special delegation to celebrate weddings validly (Canon 1108); and grant dispensations from the requirement to attend Mass on holy days of obligation or from observing the required fasting and/or abstinence on days of penance in individual cases (Canon 1245).

Due to these parallels between the ministry of a "parochus" and a bishop's own ministry, a pastor/parish priest enjoys "stability of office." This means that, technically, under normal circumstances a bishop cannot move a "parochus" out of his parish without that priest's own consent. The church's universal law actually envisions the role of parish pastor as a potentially lifelong appointment, although canon law permits individual bishops' conferences to allow for set terms of office (Canon 522). In the United States, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops allows for six-year renewable terms of office for pastors of parishes.

On the other hand, a parochial administrator may be appointed "when a parish becomes vacant" or if the "parochus" is for some reason (such as poor health or political exile) prevented from carrying out his office (Canon 539).

Since in this way the role of parish administrator is envisioned by the law as being in principle a kind of stop-gap measure to ensure the ongoing pastoral care of a parish in the absence of a pastor, unlike a pastor, a parish administrator does not have stability of office. So whereas a "parochus" can be compelled to leave his parish only in a few limited circumstances, a parish administrator can in theory be re-assigned by the bishop at any time.

However, Canon 540, 1 tells us that "A parochial administrator is bound by the same duties and possesses the same rights as a pastor unless the diocesan bishop establishes otherwise." Meaning that, for the time he is there, a parish administrator can more or less do everything a "parochus" would.