Legal Definitions - suffragan

Definition: A suffragan is a bishop who is appointed to assist the bishop of a diocese in managing church affairs. They are also known as deputy or assistant bishops. Originally, suffragans were only appointed to replace absent bishops and were called chorepiscopi, which means "bishops of the county".

• When the bishop of the diocese is unable to attend a meeting, the suffragan may attend in their place.
• The bishop appointed a suffragan to help manage the growing diocese.

These examples illustrate how suffragans are appointed to assist the bishop of a diocese in managing church affairs. They may attend meetings or help manage the diocese when the bishop is unable to do so.