ROMAN CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP

ROMAN CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP
AN ORDINANCE FOR THE INCORPORATION OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP AND BISHOPS IN SRI LANKA.
Ordinance Nos,
19 of 1906
24 of 1943
Act Nos,
28 of 1980
27 of 1985
7 of 1991
19 of 2000
[28th March
, 1906
]
Short title.

1. This Ordinance may be cited as the Roman Catholic Archbishop and Bishops of Ceylon Ordinance.

Incorporation of Roman Catholic Archbishop and Bishops.

2. The Roman Catholic Archbishop and Bishops of Ceylon, to wit, the Most Reverend Antony Coudert, Archbishop of Colombo; the Right Reverend Clement Pagnani, Bishop of Kandy; the Right Reverend Henry Joulain, Bishop of Jaffna; the Right Reverend Joseph Van Reeth, Bishop of Galle; and the Right Reverend Charles Lavigne, Bishop of Trincomalee, and their respective successors duly appointed according to the laws and usages of the Roman Catholic Church, shall each be independently from another one corporate body, and shall for all the purposes of this Ordinance, have respectively the names of the Archbishop of Colombo, the Bishop of Kandy, the Bishop of Jaffna, the Bishop of Galle, and the Bishop of Trincomalee, and by these respective names they shall have perpetual succession, and shall have full power to acquire, purchase, take, hold and enjoy movable and immovable property of every description, and to sell or otherwise dispose of the same, and may sue and be sued in respect of such property in all Courts of Justice.

Incorporation of the Bishop of Chilaw.

3. The Roman Catholic Bishop of Chilaw, to wit, the Right Reverend Edmund Peiris, and his successors duly appointed according to the laws and usages of the Roman Catholic Church, shall be a body corporate and shall, for all the purposes of this Ordinance, have the name of the Bishop of Chilaw, and by such name shall have perpetual succession and shall have full power to acquire, purchase, take, hold and enjoy movable and immovable property of every description and to sell or otherwise dispose of the same, and may sue or be sued in respect of such property in all Courts of Justice.

Incorporation of the Bishop of Badulla.


[2 28 of 1980]

3A. The Roman Catholic Bishop of Badulla, to wit, the Right Reverend Doctor Don Leo Nanayakkara, O.S.B., and his successors duly appointed according to the laws and usages of the Roman Catholic Church, shall be a body corporate and shall, for all the purposes of this Ordinance, have the name of the Bishop of Badulla, and by such name shall have perpetual succession and shall have full power to acquire, purchase, take, hold and enjoy movable and immovable property of every description and to sell or otherwise dispose of the same, and may sue or be sued in respect of such property in all Courts of Justice.

Incorporation of the Bishop of Mannar and the Bishop of Anuradhapura.


[ 2,27 of 1985]

3B. The Roman Catholic Bishops of Mannar and Anuradhapura, to wit, the Right Reverend Doctor Thomas Savundaranayagam, D.D., and the Right Reverend Doctor Henry Goonewardene, O.M.I. respectively and their successors duly appointed according to the laws and usages of the Roman Catholic Church, shall be bodies corporate and shall, for all the purposes of this Ordinance, have the names of the Bishop of Mannar and the Bishop of Anuradhapura respectively, and by such name shall have perpetual succession and shall have full power to acquire, purchase, take, hold and enjoy movable and immovable property of every description and to sell or otherwise dispose of the same, and may sue or be sued in respect of such property in all Courts of Justice.

Incorporation of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Kurunegala.


[ 3,7 of 1991]

3C. The Roman Catholic Bishop of Kurunegala to wit, the Right Reverend Doctor Raymond Peiris and his successors duly appointed according to the laws and usages of the Roman Catholic Church, shall be a body corporate and shall, for all purposes of this Ordinance, have the name of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Kurunegala, and by such name shall have perpetual succession and shall have full power to acquire, purchase, take, hold and enjoy movable and immovable property of every description and to sell or otherwise dispose of the same, and may sue or be sued in respect of such property in ail courts of justice.

Incorporation of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Ratnapura.


[ 2,19 of 2000]

3D. The Roman Catholic Bishop of Ratnapure, to wit the Right Reverend Dr. P. Don Albert Malcolm Ranjith and his successors duly appointed according to the laws and usages of the Roman Catholic Church, shall be a body corporate and shall, for all purposes of this Ordinance, have the name of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Ratnapura. and by such name shall have perpetual succession and shall have full power to acquire, purchase, lake, hold, and enjoy movable and immovable property of even description and to sell or otherwise dispose of the same, and may sue or be sued in respect of such property in all courts of justice .

Vesting of Property.

4. All property, both movable and immovable, already acquired, held, or possessed by the said Most Reverend Antony Coudert, Right Reverend Clement Pagnani, Right Reverend Henry Joulain, Right Reverend Joseph Van Reeth, and Right Reverend Charles Lavigne, respectively, in their official capacity or by their respective predecessors in office shall, subject to any trust or condition affecting the same, vest in the said respective corporations.

Vesting of property in the Bishop of Chilaw.

5. All property, both movable and immovable already acquired, held or possessed by the said Right Reverend Edmund Peiris in his official capacity shall, subject to any trust or condition affecting the same, vest in the said Bishop of Chilaw.

Vesting of property in the Bishop of Badulla.


[ 3, 28 of 1980]

5A. All property, both movable and immovable, already acquired, held or possessed by the said Right Reverend Doctor Don Leo Nanayakkara, O.S.B., in his official capacity shall, subject to any trust or condition affecting the same, vest in the said Bishop of Badulla.

Vesting of property in the Bishop of Mannar and the Bishop of Anuraphapum.


[ 3,27 of 1985]

5B. All property, both movable and immovable, already acquired, held or possessed by the said Right Reverend Doctor Thomas Savundaranayagam D.D., and by the said Right Reverend Doctor Henry Goonewardene, O.M.I., in their official capacity shall, subject to any trust or conditions affecting the same, vest in the said Bishop of Mannar and the said Bishop of Anuradhapura respectively.

Vesting of property in the Roman Catholic Bishop of Kurunegala.


[ 4,7 of 1991]

5C. All property both movable and immovable, already acquired, held or possessed by the said Right Reverend Doctor Raymond Peiris, in his official capacity, shall, subject to any trust or condition affecting the same, vest in the said Roman Catholic Bishop of Kurunegala.

” Vesting of property in the Roman Catholic Bishop of Ratnapura.


[ 3,19 of 2000]

5D. All property both movable and immovable. already acquired, held or possessed by the said Right Reverend Dr. P. Don Albert Malcolm Ranjith, in his official capacity, shall, subject to any trust or condition affecting the same, vest in the said Roman Catholic Bishop of Ratnapura.

Stamp duty on conveyances, &c.

6.

(1) Any instrument of conveyance, transfer or assignment executed by the Archbishop of Colombo in favour of the Bishop of Chilaw of all the property movable or immovable which by reason of the erection of the Diocese of Chilaw becomes subject to the administration of the Bishop of Chilaw, shall be deemed to be an instrument chargeable under Part I, item 23 (7), of Schedule A to the Stamp Ordinance.*

(2) Any instrument of conveyance, transfer or assignment executed by the Bishop of Kandy in favour of the Bishop of Badulla of all the property movable or immovable which by reason of the creation of the Diocese of Badulla becomes subject to the administration of the Bishop of Badulla, shall be deemed to be an instrument chargeable under Part I, item 23 (7), of Schedule A to the Stamp Ordinance.*

(3) Any instrument of conveyance, transfer or assignment executed by the Bishop of Jaffna in favour of the Bishop of Mannar or by the Bishop of Jaffna or the Bishop of Trincomalee in favour of the Bishop of Anuradhapura of all the property movable or immovable which by reason of the creation of the Diocese of Mannar and the Diocese of Anuradhapura become subject to the administration of the Bishop of Mannar or the Bishop of Anuradhapura respectively, shall be charged the stamp duty prescribed for such an instrument, under section 2 of the Stamp Duty Act, No. 43 of 1982.

(4) Any instrument of conveyance, transfer or assignment executed by the Bishop of Chilaw in favour of the Roman Catholic Bishop of” Kurunegala of all the property movable or immovable which by reason of the creation of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kurunegala become subject to the administration of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Kurunegala, shall be charged the stamp duty prescribed for such instrument, under section 2 of the Stamp Duty Act. No. 43 of 1982.

(5) Any instrument of conveyance, transfer or assignment executed by the Bishop of Galle in favour of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Ratnapura of all the property movable or immovable which by reason of the creation of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ratnapura become subject to the administration of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Ratnapura. shall be charged the stamp duty prescribed for such instrument, under section 2 of the Stamp Duty Act. No, 43 of 1982;

Vacancies in see.

7. Provided, however, that in case of a vacancy in the see in any of the said Roman Catholic dioceses, the person temporarily administering such diocese shall, until the appointment of a new Archbishop or Bishop, as the case may be, be deemed to be the successor of the preceding Archbishop or Bishop of such diocese for all the purposes of this Ordinance :

Provided, further, that the temporary absence from Sri Lanka of any of them, the said Archbishop and Bishops, shall be deemed to create a temporary vacancy in the see until the return to Sri Lanka of the absent Archbishop or Bishop, as the case may be; and the person temporarily administering such diocese shall during the period of absence be deemed to be the successor of the said Archbishop or Bishop for all the purposes of this Ordinance.

Saving of rights of the Republic.

8. Nothing in this Ordinance contained shall affect the rights of the Republic.