Episcopus vagans

Episcopi vagantes refers to people who have been ordained as bishops in some irregular fashion, especially those claiming to have valid Catholic orders.

Many of these claim succession from the see of Utrecht, or from Eastern Orthodox or Eastern Rite Catholic churches; others from Roman Catholic bishops that have ordained their own bishops after disputes with the Vatican.

From the perspective of Roman Catholic church teaching, while all these ordinations were illegal, some may be valid, though many others are not. Many people have claimed ordinations as bishops where it is questionable whether the ordination ever took place.