CHAPTER II. The Enrollment, or Incardination, of Clerics

Can.265 Every cleric must be incardinated either in a particular church or personal prelature, or in an institute of

consecrated life or society endowed with this faculty, in such a way that unattached or transient clerics are not

allowed at all.

Can.266 §1. Through the reception of the diaconate, a person becomes a cleric and is incardinated in the particular

church or personal prelature for whose service he has been advanced.

§2. Through the reception of the diaconate, a perpetually professed religious or a definitively incorporated

member of a clerical society of apostolic life is incardinated as a cleric in the same institute or society unless, in the

case of societies, the constitutions establish otherwise.

§3. Through the reception of the diaconate, a member of a secular institute is incardinated in the particular

church for whose service he has been advanced unless he is incardinated in the institute itself by virtue of a grant

of the Apostolic See.

Can.267 §1. For a cleric already incardinated to be incardinated validly in another particular church, he must obtain

from the diocesan bishop a letter of excardination signed by the same bishop and a letter of incardination from the

diocesan bishop of the particular church in which he desires to be incardinated signed by that bishop.

§2. Excardination thus granted does not take effect unless incardination in another particular church has been

obtained.

Can.268 §1. A cleric who has legitimately moved from his own particular church to another is incardinated in the

latter particular church by the law itself after Five years if he has made such a desire known in writing both to the

diocesan bishop of the host church and to his own diocesan bishop and neither of them has expressed opposition in

writing to him within four months of receiving the letter.

§2. Through perpetual or definitive admission into an institute of consecrated life or into a society of apostolic

life, a cleric who is incardinated in the same institute or society according to the norm of can. 266, §2 is

excardinated from his own particular church.

Can.269 A diocesan bishop is not to allow the incardination of a cleric unless:

1/ the necessity or advantage of his own particular church demands it, and without prejudice to the prescripts

of the law concerning the decent support of clerics;

2/ he knows by a lawful document that excardination has been granted, and has also obtained from the

excardinating bishop, under secrecy if need be, appropriate testimonials concerning the cleric’s life, behavior and

studies;

3/ the cleric has declared in writing to the same diocesan bishop that he wishes to be dedicated to the service

of the new particular church according to the norm of law.

Can.270 Excardination can be licitly granted only for just causes such as the advantage of the Church or the good

of the cleric himself. It cannot be denied, however, except for evident, grave causes. A cleric who thinks he has

been wronged and has found an accepting bishop, however, is permitted to make recourse against the decision.

Can.271 §1. Apart from the case of true necessity of his own particular church, a diocesan bishop is not to deny

permission to clerics, whom he knows are prepared and considers suitable and who request it, to move to regions

laboring under a grave lack of clergy where they will exercise the sacred ministry. He is also to make provision that

the rights and duties of these clerics are determined through a written agreement with the diocesan bishop of the

place they request.

§2. A diocesan bishop can grant permission for his clerics to move to another particular church for a

predetermined time, which can even be renewed several times. Nevertheless, this is to be done so that these clerics

remain incardinated in their own particular church and, when they return to it, possess all the rights which they

would have had if they had been dedicated to the sacred ministry there.

§3. For a just cause the diocesan bishop can recall a cleric who has moved legitimately to another particular

church while remaining incardinated in his own church provided that the agreements entered into with the other

bishop and natural equity are observed; the diocesan bishop of the other particular church, after having observed

these same conditions and for a just cause, likewise can deny the same cleric permission for further residence in his

territory.

Can.272 A diocesan administrator cannot grant excardination or incardination or even permission to move to

another particular church unless the episcopal see has been vacant for a year and he has the consent of the college

of consultors.