coadjutor bishop

A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) ("co-assister" in Latin) is a bishop in the Latin Catholic, Anglican and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in administering the diocese. The coadjutor automatically succeeds the diocesan bishop when he retires, dies or leaves office for another reason. In the Latin Catholic Church, the coadjutor is a bishop appointed by the pope in Rome. He is considered the principal deputy administrator of the diocese. In the Eastern Catholic churches, the adjutor may be appointed by the pope or by the church itself. Within the Anglican Communion, a diocesan committee appoints the coadjutor, who can be male or female.