CANON 8: OF CONSECRATION OF BISHOPS, AND COLLATION AND ENTHRONEMENT OF DIOCESAN BISHOPS

Amended at Provincial Synod 2019

1(a)  Consecration, and of Metropolitan

The Bishops shall proceed at the earliest convenient season from the date of the Confirmation to consecrate (unless already consecrated) the person elected and confirmed according to the foregoing provisions.

(b)  The Metropolitan and two other Bishops of the Province, or, if the Metropolitan be unable to act, three Bishops of the Province under a commission of the Metropolitan, shall be required for a Consecration: Provided that, with the concurrence of the Metropolitan, the Consecration of a Bishop for this Province may take place in England or elsewhere by, or under commission of, the Archbishop of Canterbury or any other Metropolitan in communion with this Church.

(c)  In case of the Metropolitan, the Synod deems it expedient, for the purpose of exhibiting the connexion of this Province with the Church of England, that, with the concurrence always of the Bishops of this Province, or a majority of them, the Metropolitan should ordinarily be consecrated by, or under commission of, the Archbishop of Canterbury.

(d)  The Metropolitan, or other Bishop appointed, shall in all cases perform what is in the English Ordinal directed to be done by the Archbishop.

2.   Collation

(a)  The Metropolitan shall collate the person elected and confirmed (other than a Bishop Suffragan) according to the aforegoing provisions immediately after and on the same day as the consecration, or, if the Bishop is consecrated outside the Province, within seven days thereafter.

(b)  If the person elected and confirmed (other than a Bishop Suffragan) be already consecrated, the deed of collation shall be issued as soon as circumstances permit after the issue of the Sentence of Confirmation. The Metropolitan shall forward the original Deed of Collation to the Bishop-Elect.

3.   Declaration of Obedience

The Bishop-Elect shall before the Consecration (or, if already consecrated, before the collation) subscribe a declaration pledging to acknowledge the Constitution of this Church, to give due obedience to the decisions of its Synods and

(a) in the case of a Diocesan Bishop to govern the Diocese in conformity with the Constitution, Laws, and Canons of this Church, or

(b) in the case of a Bishop Suffragan, to minister in the Diocese in conformity with the Constitution, Laws, and Canons of this Church and of the Commission issued in terms of section 9 of Canon 10 Of Bishops Suffragan

4.   Custody of records

After Consecration of any Bishop of this Province, whether consecrated in South Africa or elsewhere, it shall be necessary that the Certificate of Election and all the Records connected with such Consecration be deposited in the Archives of the Province; and it shall be the duty of the Registrar of the Province, or one of the Deputies, to require the production of all such papers before the Enthronement, to which the Record of Enthronement shall be added.

5.   Enthronement/Installation

The Diocesan Bishops shall be enthroned/installed in such manner as Provincial Synod may prescribe