CANON 9: Of Abandonment of the Communion of This Church by a Bishop

[Louie Crew <lcrew@andromeda.rutgers.edu>]

In view of the imminent House of Bishops meeting, we would all be well served
by reading Canon 9 carefully (below)

Louie, L1 Newark 09

Louie Crew, 377 S. Harrison St., 12D, E. Orange, NJ 07018 973-395-1068
http://www.gracechurchinnewark.org/  Home of "America the Beautiful"


CANON 9: Of Abandonment of the Communion of This Church by a Bishop

Sec. 1. If a Bishop abandons the communion of this Church (i) by an open
renunciation of the Doctrine, Discipline, or Worship of this Church, or (ii)
by formal admission into any religious body not in communion with the same,
or (iii) by exercising episcopal acts in and for a religious body other than
this Church or another Church in communion with this Church, so as to extend
to such body Holy Orders as this Church holds them, or to administer on
behalf of such religious body Confirmation without the express consent and
commission of the proper authority in this Church; it shall be the duty of
the Review Committee, by a majority vote of All the Members, to certify the
fact to the Presiding Bishop and with the certificate to send a statement of
the acts or declarations which show such abandonment, which certificate and
statement shall be recorded by the Presiding Bishop. The Presiding Bishop,
with the consent of the three senior Bishops having jurisdiction in this
Church, shall then inhibit the said Bishop until such time as the House of
Bishops shall investigate the matter and act thereon. During the period of
Inhibition, the Bishop shall not perform any episcopal, ministerial or
canonical acts, except as relate to the administration of the temporal
affairs of the Diocese of which the Bishop holds jurisdiction or in which
the Bishop is then serving.

Sec. 2. The Presiding Bishop, or the presiding officer, shall forthwith give
notice to the Bishop of the certification and Inhibition. Unless the
inhibited Bishop, within two months, makes declaration by a Verified written
statement to the Presiding Bishop, that the facts alleged in the certificate
are false or utilizes the provisions of Canon IV.8 or Canon III.13, as
applicable, the Bishop will be liable to Deposition. If the Presiding Bishop
is reasonably satisfied that the statement constitutes (i) a good faith
retraction of the declarations or acts relied upon in the certification to
the Presiding Bishop or (ii) a good faith denial that the Bishop made the
declarations or committed the acts relied upon in the certificate, the
Presiding Bishop, with the advice and consent of a majority of the three
senior Bishops consenting to Inhibition, terminate the Inhibition.
Otherwise, it shall be the duty of the Presiding Bishop to present the
matter to the House of Bishops at the next regular or special meeting of the
House. If the House, by a majority of the whole number of Bishops entitled
to vote, shall give its consent, the Presiding Bishop shall depose the
Bishop from the Ministry, and pronounce and record in the presence of two or
more Bishops that the Bishop has been so deposed.

                      (pages 140-141, C&C 2006)