"A Welcoming Community of Faith Rooted in
the Catholic Tradition"
Canon
Fifteen
Code of Canon Law
of the
Evangelical Catholic Church
Canon 15: Incardination of a Secular Cleric
15.1 Candidates for Clerical Incardination into this Church must be full members of the Church prior to their application for Incardination. No application for Incardination shall be given prior to reception into the Church.
15.2 As part of the application process of Clerical Incardination, candidates must fulfill the requirements of Canon 12.14.
15.3 If there is a pastoral need, the local ordinary may grant candidates for Clerical Incardination the title of "cleric in residence", and provide them with the necessary faculties to assist the bishop.
15.4 A candidate for secular Clerical Incardination will be subject to the provisions of Canon 12.15 and 12.25
15.5 If it is determined that the candidate comes from a tradition that does not have valid Apostolic Succession and/or lacks the completion of the Rite of Orders, the local ordinary will supply the necessary sacramental validity through the Imposition of Hands and the required consecratory prayers for the Order received.
15.6 Candidates for Secular Clerical Incardination must possess a Master of Divinity degree, equivalent degree, or they must complete the required academic studies prior to being incardinated. This includes but is not limited to “reading for orders,” using one of the many Old Catholic or Independent Catholic online seminaries or schools of theology, or another “higher academic facility” as long as there is documented proof of completion of study through an officially issued certificate or diploma at Masters level by the competent authority.
15.7 The length of time for the process of Incardination will be determined by the local ordinary, in consultation with the candidate and the clergy of the diocese.
15.8 Candidates for secular incardination who are already clerics from within this Church body, may make a written petition the Local Ordinary of the Diocese they wish to incardinate into. Before a cleric is permitted to incardinate, the petitioning cleric's current ordinary or religious superior must provide a letter of recommendation and a official copy of the petitioning cleric's files, records and documents to the ordinary being petitioned. The ordinary being petitioned may, for just cause, decline a petition for secular incardination.
15.9 If, after attaining Secular Incardination within the Church, it is discovered that the candidate consciously submitted false and misleading information on his or her application for Secular Incardination into the Church, the incardinating diocese shall declare such Incardinations null and void.
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