HIERARCHIA CATHOLICA. - Title given by the Conventual Father C. EUBULO (v.) to his critical collection of chronological episcopal lists of all Catholic episcopal sees. The author chose as the terminus a quo the year 1198, the year in which the continuous series of the Registri Vaticani and of the Regesta Pontificum Romanorum inde ab a. 1198 ad a. 1305 (2 vols., Berlin 1873-75) by A. Pothast begins. Initially, Fr. Eubel intended to cover only the Middle Ages; in reality, he himself and his collaborators, to the comfort of scholars, went beyond the initial chronological boundaries, and vol. V, which is in preparation, will bring the episcopal lists up to 1730. This is a scholarly work of great value, although susceptible to improvements in details, conducted on archival sources, especially from the Vatican Archive. It definitively replaces, for the period covered, the more schematic and in many parts outdated work by P. B. Gams (v.), Series episcoporum Ecclesiae catholicae quotquot innotuerunt a beato Petro Apostolo (Regensburg 1873, supplement, ibid. 1886, anastatic ed., Leipzig 1931), compiled solely from printed works, such as, for example, the Gallia christiana (v.) for France and the Italia sacra (v.) for Italy. Four volumes have been published so far:
I. H. C. Medii Aevi sive Summorum Pontificum, S. R. E. Cardinalium, Ecclesiarum Antistitum series ab anno 1198 usque ad annum 1431 perducta. E documentis tabularii praesertim Vaticani collecta, digesta, edita (1st ed., Münster in V. 1898; 2nd ed., ibid. 1913).
II. H. C... ab anno 1431 usque ad annum 1503 perducta (1st ed., ibid. 1901; 2nd ed., ibid. 1914). These first two volumes are the work of Eubel.
III. H. C. Medii et recentioris Aevi... Saeculum XVI ab anno 1503 complectens (1st ed., ibid. 1910); the volume, begun by Rev. G. Van Gulik, was brought to completion by Eubel (the 2nd ed., ibid. 1923, edited by L. Schmitz-Kallenberg).
IV. H. C... a pontificatu Clementis Papae VIII (1592) usque ad pontificatum Alexandri Papae VII (1667) (ibid. 1935), the work of the Conventual Father P. Gauchat.
V. In preparation, by the Conventual Fathers R. Ritzler and P. Sefrin; it will cover the period between the years 1667-1730.
Each volume is divided into two parts: the first reserved for the Popes and cardinals, the latter arranged by creation under the name of each pope, by titles and surnames, with various footnotes; the second is destined for the bishops, whose dioceses are arranged in alphabetical order of their curial names, in Latin. Each name is accompanied by the dates of appointment (in the case of translation or removal) and of death, with the indication of archival sources, and in their absence with references to Gams; other brief but valuable information is relegated to footnotes. Each volume is accompanied by at least 3 appendices: the Provinciale sive conspectus provinciarum per catholici orbis terrarum situs ac regiones dispositus, for the period covered in the single volume; the index of dioceses in the vernacular language; the list of «auxiliares seu vicesgerentes in pontificalibus»; «addenda et corrigenda».
Vol. III contains an interesting appendix De Camera et Apostolica et S. Collegii Cardinalium (pp. 81-88) and vol. IV the index of the bishops' surnames.
It is clear that in such a vast work errors and flaws may be found, but taken as a whole it is an aid of primary importance for scholars and does honor to the Order of Friars Minor Conventual which promoted it and continues II.