Authority in Name Only: Difference between revisions

* The Roman Catholic Church requires that certain positions in the Vatican administration be held by bishops. But a bishop is supposed to be the head of a diocese, and a bishopric in a real diocese is a full-time job. The church instead assigns bishops intended to work in the Vatican to a "titular see", which is a diocese that's no longer extant. (Most are located in the Middle East or North Africa, areas that were wholly Christian before the advent of Islam.) The best-known titular bishop might be Nicolaus Steno (aka Neils Stensen), the Titular Bishop of Titiopolis, a geologist and the subject of an essay by Stephen Jay Gould.

* In Pre-Norman England the Cinque Ports(five ports because there were originally five) made a treaty with the king to supply ships for defense in return for internal self-determination as well as various and sundry privileges some rather arcane. The royal official in charge of this arrangement was the Warden of the Cinque Ports. After the Conquest the deal was continued because both parties liked the arrangement. After a standing Royal Navy became the core of British naval defense this became obsolete and the Wardenry of the Cinque Ports is mainly a post for retired gentlemen of dignity rather then a serious position.

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[[Category:Authority Tropes]]