Titular Sees are established in places where there is no resident bishop. In the vast majority of cases, they are in areas that were formerly Catholic but have been overrun by Muslims or other apostates / infidels. A Titular Bishop is said to be the bishop "In Partibus Infidelium" (in the land of unbelievers).
I think this is a tremendously astute move on the part of the Vatican (whether personally by the Holy Father or, perhaps, on the initiative of Archbishop de Noia.
Oregon City is almost co-located with the infamous Oregon Catholic Press. De Noia, being the new #2 guy for the Congregation for the Liturgy...it's a natural. It sends a subtle but unmistakable message in the direction of OCP, particularly considering that the titular see was established back in 1996 and its first bishop is de Noia!
Thank you for posting such detailed information. I had no idea. Also, the great insight into the subtlety of assigning him Oregon City. ;-)
I was just going to post about Oregon City being the first Diocese in the Western United States.
Good additional information, thanks.
Some two thousand ancient Catholic dioceses and archdioceses whose titles are now given to those bishops who do not occupy residential sees, e.g., auxiliary or coadjutor bishops, vicars apostolic, and officials of the Roman Curia. Most of these sees are in Asia Minor, North Africa, the Balkans, and Greece. After the Moslems had destroyed the Church in these lands, the extinct dioceses were called sees "in the lands of the infidels." But in 1882, Pope Leo XIII changed the title to "titular sees."