CHURCH OF CEYLON



CHURCH OF CEYLON
AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR THE REGULATION OF THE CHURCH OF CEYLON, FOR ESTABLISHING ITS IDENTITY WITH THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND IN CEYLON (BY WHATSOEVER NAME CALLED) AND FOR MATTERS INCIDENTAL THERETO AND CONNECTED THEREWITH.
Preamble.

Whereas the Church of Ceylon, with two Bishops and two Dioceses, has been established, and it is necessary to give legal validity to the same: And whereas, for the resolution of doubts, it is necessary to establish the identity of the said Church of Ceylon with the Church of England in Ceylon (by whatsoever name called):

And whereas it is necessary, for this purpose to make amendments to the Church of England Ordinance which, as set out in the Preamble thereto, established a Church with one Bishop and one diocese, and to make consequential amendments to other laws relating to the said Church:

And whereas it is expedient to enable the said Church of Ceylon to regulate its own affairs:

And whereas the governing authority of the Church of Ceylon, that is to say, the Bishop of Colombo and the Diocesan Council of the Diocese of Colombo, and the Bishop of Kurunegala and the Diocesan Council of the Diocese of Kurunegala, have consented thereto:

Be it enacted by the Queen’s Most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the House of Representatives of Ceylon in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:-

Act Nos,
6 of 1972
[26th February
, 1972
]
Short title.

1. This Act may be cited as the Church of Ceylon Act.

Constitution of the church of Ceylon.

2.

(1) The Church of Ceylon shall consist, and with effect from the relevant of date shall be deemed to have consisted, the Bishop of Colombo and the Diocese of Colombo and of the Bishop of Kurunegala and the Diocese of Kurunegala.

(2) In this Act, ” relevant date” means the Second day of February, 1950, being the date on which the Diocese of Kurunegala was established.

The territorial limits of the Diocese of Colombo Kurunegala.

3. The territorial limits of the Diocese of Colombo and of the Diocese of Kurunegala shall be the territorial limits existing on the relevant date, so, however, that such limits Kurunegala. may be varied by mutual agreement between the Diocesan Councils of Colombo and Kurunegala with the consent of the Bishop of Colombo and the Bishop of Kurunegala.

Church of Ceylon deemed to be a continuation of and identical with Church of England in Sri Lanka.

4. Subject to the other provisions of this Act, the Church of Ceylon shall for all intents and purposes be deemed to be a continuation of and identical with the Church of England in Sri Lanka sometimes called or known as-

(a) The United Church of England and Ireland,

(b) the Episcopal Churches in the Island of Sri Lanka,

(c) The Church of England in the Diocese of Colombo, or

(d) The Diocese of Colombo of the Ecclesiastical Province of the Church of India, Burma and Ceylon, or of India, Pakistan, Burma and Ceylon,

and all property, rights and privileges which belong to, and all duties and liabilities which have been imposed upon, the Church designated by any of the expressions set out in paragraphs (a) to (d) shall devolve upon the said Church of Ceylon, and the expressions set out in paragraphs (a) to (d) and all other expressions relating to the said Church of England in Sri Lanka heretofore used in all enactments, rules, regulations, deeds, contracts and writings of whatsoever name or description shall henceforth be deemed to refer to the said Church of Ceylon. [* Amendment effected by section 5 to 9 of Act No. 6 of 1972 to the Church of England Ordinance and to the Episcopal Churches Ordinance have been incorporated in those enactment.]

Chapter 428