Roman Catholic Archbishop and Bishops of Ceylon (Amendment) Act 2014

This Act may be cited as the Roman Catholic

Archbishop and Bishops of Ceylon (Amendment) Act,

No. 30 of 2014.

The Roman Catholic Archbishop and Bishops of

Ceylon Ordinance (hereinafter referred to as the “principal enactment”) as last amended by Act, No. 19 of 2000 is hereby further amended by the insertion immediately after section 3D thereof, of the following new section which shall have effect as section 3E of the principal enactment :—

3E. The Roman Catholic Bishop of

Batticaloa, to wit, the Right Reverend

Dr. Joseph Ponniah 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

“Incorporation of the Roman

Catholic

Bishop of

Batticaloa.

Catholic Bishop of Batticaloa”, 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 justic.”.

The following new section is hereby inserted immediately after section 5D of the principal enactment and shall have effect as section 5E of the principal enactment :—

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

Batticaloa.”.

Section 6 of the principal enactment as last amended by Act, No. 19 of 2000 is hereby further amended by the addition immediately after subsection (5) of that section, of the following new subsection :—

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

or section 13 of the Stamp Duty (Special Provisions)

Act, No. 12 of 2006, as the case may be.”.

In the event of any inconsistency between the Sinhala and Tamil texts of this Act, the Sinhala text shall prevail.

“Vesting of property in the Roman

Catholic

Bishop of

Batticaloa.