CANON 11: OF RESIDENCE OF DIOCESAN BISHOPS

Amended at Provincial Synod 2021

1.  Residence of Bishops

Every Bishop appointed to the charge of a Diocese shall reside within the Diocese unless, upon the ground of ill-health or other important considerations, it should for a time be undesirable; and of such exceptional circumstances the Metropolitan and the majority of Diocesan Bishops shall judge.

2.  Consent for Absence

No Bishop shall be absent from the Diocese without the consent of the Metropolitan, nor the Metropolitan from the Province, without the consent of two Diocesan Bishops.

3.  Appointment of Vicar-General

(a) No bishop shall be absent from the Diocese for more than six weeks without appointing a Vicar General with authority to administer the Spiritualities of the Diocese and to maintain discipline according to the Canons of the Church.

(b)  If in the opinion of the Bishop access by the Vicar General to a portion or portions of the Diocese is difficult or impossible, the Bishop shall be permitted to appoint an additional Vicar General to each such area of the Diocese so affected. The separate area or areas of each Vicar General is to be specified in each appointment. Where more than one Vicar General has been appointed, the Bishop shall designate one of them as the senior Vicar General.

(c  )If a bishop shall be absent from the Province for more than twelve months the Bishop shall be bound to make due provision for Confirmations and Ordinations within the Diocese.

4.  Absence without consent

In the event of a Bishop being absent from the Diocese for one month without the consent required by this Canon, it shall be competent for the Metropolitan to give the bishop two weeks’ notice to return to the Diocese.  Should the bishop fail to return after receipt of the above notice, the Metropolitan may, after being satisfied that there are no exceptional circumstances which account for the bishop’s failures to return, with the consent of the majority of the Diocesan Bishops, declare the See vacant.

5.  Absence of Metropolitan

The functions assigned to the Metropolitan in the preceding section of this Canon shall, in the event of the Metropolitan coming under the operation of its provisions, be exercised by the Dean of the Province and if the Dean is unable to act or the office of the Dean of the Province is vacant, then the provisions of section 3(d) of Canon 2 shall apply.