Consultors - Consulteurs

In accordance with the Church’s Code of Canon Law (C.502) the Bishop is to create a College of Consultors, a distinct canonical body of priests selected from the Presbyteral Council.

The College of Consultors exercises its primary decision-making authority and/or power of consent in relationship to those specific matters identified in the Church’s Code of Canon Law

The Constitution is found in Annex O of the Directory
 

The law notes that the Diocesan Bishop freely establishes the Council from members of the Presbyteral Council.  There must be six to twelve consultors, and the body is appointed for a term of five years.

• The Diocesan Bishop presides over the College of Consultors. 
• The College assists the Diocesan Bishop in certain areas of administration as determined by law. 
• The College also provides for the governance of the Diocese if the see is vacant or impeded.  While the Bishop presides over the College, he is not a member of it, and as such, he does not vote on matters brought before the College. 
• A priest is to be selected from the College to serve as “President,” and he is to set the agenda, convoke the members in collaboration with the Diocesan Bishop, and facilitate the meetings of the College.
• A secretary should also be selected from the College, and he is to keep minutes of the meetings. 

• When consulted, to provide feedback for the formation of the ternus of candidates for the episcopacy (canon 377);
• Along with the Diocesan Chancellor, the College is to receive the apostolic letters of bishops appointed to the Diocese (canon 404);
• The College, along with the Diocesan Finance Council, is to be consulted by the diocesan bishop on the appointment and removal of the finance officer (canon 494);
• The College is to be consulted by the diocesan bishop in more important acts of administration (canon 1277);
• The College is to give or withhold consent to the diocesan bishop for acts of extraordinary administration as defined by the Episcopal Conference (canon 1277);
• The College is to give or withhold consent to the diocesan bishop for alienation of diocesan temporal goods where its intervention is required (canon 1292);
• When a juridic person needs the permission of the diocesan bishop to alienate goods, and when the value of the goods to be alienated exceeds the maximum for which the diocesan bishop can give permission on his own accord, the College is to give or withhold consent to this alienation (canon 1292);
• The College is to intervene in all other matters foreseen in the law that calls for its intervention.

• To assume the duties of the Presbyteral Council (canon 501);
• If there is no auxiliary bishop, the College governs the Diocese from the notice of the vacancy until the election of the diocesan administrator if no other provision is provided (canon 419);
• To elect, within eight days, a diocesan administrator (canon 421);
• To give consent before the diocesan administrator permits migration of clergy (canon 272), issue dimissorial letters (canon 1018); remove the chancellor or other notaries (canon 485);
• The College and Chancellor are to receive the apostolic letter of appointment of the new diocesan bishop (canon 382);
• When the see is impeded and other provisions of the law do not provide for the governance of the impeded see, the College is to select a priest to govern the Diocese in the interim (canon 413);
• To give advice or consent according to law (canons 119, 127);
• To hold an election according to the law (canons 119, 164-179).

La constitution se retrouve dans l'annexe O du directoire.