BISHOP. In England, an ecclesiastical officer, who is the chief of the clergy of his diocese, and is the next in rank to an arch bishop. A bishop is a corporation sole; 1 Bla. Cora. 469. In the United States it is the title of a high ecclesiastical officer of the Roman Catholic, Episcopal and Metho dist. Episcopal and some other churches. In the first two be is the head of a diocese. He is in the Church of England and the Protestant Episcopal Church as Right Reverend.
In England the two archbishops and twen ty-four bishops are entitled to sit in the House of Lords, and are known as spiritual peers. When there is a vacancy, the senior existing bishop is entitled to fill it and not the successor of the one who died. The bishop's powers are threefold: 1. Potestas orcl,inis, under which he confers orders, con firms, consecrates churches, etc.; 2. Potestas jurisdictionis, which he exercises as ecclesi astical judge of the diocese; 3. Administra
tio familiaris, by which he governs the rev enue; 1 Bla. Com. 377, 155. As to his ap pointment, see Count D'ErzaE; CHURCH OF ENGLAND.
In the Roman Church he is the governing authority in his diocese and is said to be "the supreme pastor, the supreme teacher, the supreme governor." It is his duty, un der the laws and discipline of his church, to administer the regulations provided by its laws, and to construe and interpret such regulations. The court will not review the judgments or acts of a religious organiza tion with reference to its internal affairs for the purpose of ascertaining their regu larity or accordance with the discipline and usage of such organization; Pounder v. Ashe, 44 Neb. 673, 63 N. W. 48 ; Bonacum, v. Har rington, 65 Neb. 831, 91 N. W. 886. See RELIGIOUS SOCIETY.