Who is the Bishop of the Moon?

(Photo: Javardh/Unsplash)
Question: On the Internet I read that the bishop of Orlando, Florida, is also the bishop of the moon, because “the bishop of a port launching voyages of discovery becomes the ecclesiastical authority over newly discovered lands until they are assigned their own bishop”, and the Apollo missions launched near Orlando. Is that true?
Answer: It is certainly an entertaining interpretation of ancient Church practices, but the bishop of Orlando might be safe from having to make pastoral visits to lunar parishes, even in the event that the moon (or, perhaps, Mars) is populated at some point.
When new territories are discovered where pastoral care is required, they fall under the jurisdiction of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples (the old Propaganda Fidei). This is the Vatican department that oversees the Church’s mission territories, which include Southern Africa.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that the responsibility for providing pastoral care in newly discovered lands usually falls under the authority of the ordinary of the nearest diocese where the territory is located. He would be responsible for overseeing the establishment of the Church in these new lands and ensuring the provision of sacraments and spiritual guidance.
For example, since Cape Town was the nearest diocese to the world’s remotest island, Tristan da Cunha, for many years the responsibility for arranging pastoral care for that territory’s Catholics resided with the archbishop of Cape Town, until that obligation was reassigned.
There are no hard-and-fast rules governing the specific administrative arrangements and structures of new mission territories. They may vary, depending on the circumstances. Historically the Church has adapted to new territories and situations, establishing new vicariates or dioceses or other appropriate structures as needed.
In the case of the moon, there is no “nearest diocese”. In any case, should there be human colonisation in space, such a venture would be of such a high public profile that the Church would attend to its pastoral implications on the highest levels — leaving the good bishop of Orlando in peace.
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