VICAR (Lat. vicavius, from 'deem, i.e., gerens, acting in the place of another), the title given to the substitute, whether temporary or permanent, employed to act in the place of certain ecclesiastical officials, whether individuals or corporations; as of the pope, a bishop, a chapter, a parish priest, etc. Vicars take different names from these various considerations. Vicars of the pope are called " vicars-apostolic," and they are generally invested with episcopal authority, in some place where there is no canonical bishop. Vicars of a bishop are either "vicars-general,' who have the full authority of the bishop all over his diocese, or " vicars-forane" (Lat. foraneus, from foils, abroad), whose author ity is confined to a particular district, and generally otherwise limited. A vicar-capitu lar is the person elected by the chapter of a diocese, during the vacancy of the see, to hold the place of the bishop, and to exercise all the authority necessary for the gov ernment of the diocese. The vicar-capitular, however, is not competent to do any act
of episcopal order, as ordination, confirmation, etc. His power is restricted in other ways which it would be out of place to detail 'here. Parochial vicars are either per. pc teal, as in parishes which were anciently held in eammendarn (q.v.), or which were held by religious corporations; or temporary, whose appointment may be recalled at pleasure, or after a fixed time. The name, in this sense, is sometimes given, especially in the Roman Catholic church, to the assistant-priest, or as lie is called in England, the curate, in a parish. The functions of "vicars-apostolic" are described under the head IN PARTIBUS INFIDELIUM.