{"id":"roman-catholic-church-property-act-amendment-act-1912","name":"Roman Catholic Church Property Act Amendment Act 1912","slug":"roman-catholic-church-property-act-amendment-act-1912","collection":"act","jurisdiction":"wa","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":109953,"registerId":"wa-roman-catholic-church-property-act-amendment-act-1912-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-03","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Roman Catholic Church Property Act Amendment Act 1912","content":"![Crest]()Western Australia\n\nRoman Catholic Church Property Act Amendment Act 1912\n\nWestern Australia\n\nRoman Catholic Church Property Act Amendment Act 1912\n\nContents\n\n1. Short title 1\n\n2. Power to appoint attorneys 1\n\n3. Power to appoint administrator to act on death of Archbishop 1\n\nNotes\n\nCompilation table 3\n\n  \n\nWestern Australia\n\nRoman Catholic Church Property Act Amendment Act 1912\n\nAn Act to amend the *Roman Catholic Church Property Act 1911*.\n\n##### 1. Short title\n\nThis Act may be cited as the *Roman Catholic Church Property Act Amendment Act 1912* 1, and shall be read as one with the *Roman Catholic Church Property Act 1911*, hereinafter referred to as the principal Act.\n\n##### 2. Power to appoint attorneys\n\nThe Roman Catholic Bishop of Perth 2 may, from time to time, by an instrument in writing under his hand and seal, appoint the Vicar Capitular of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Perth 3 duly elected by the consultors of the said Diocese, and a Priest of the said Diocese, or either of them, his attorneys or attorney to exercise all or any of the powers conferred upon the said Bishop by section 4 of the principal Act; and it shall be lawful for such attorneys or attorney so appointed, in the name and on behalf of the said Bishop, to exercise such powers accordingly, and to execute and sign all documents and writings required to give effect thereto.\n\n[Section 2 amended: No. 5 of 1934 s. 2; No. 67 of 1972 s. 10.]\n\n##### 3. Power to appoint administrator to act on death of Archbishop\n\n(1) The Roman Catholic Bishop of Perth 2 may, by an instrument in writing under his hand and seal, appoint the said Vicar Capitular or some other Priest of the Roman Catholic Church, an administrator to exercise the powers and perform the duties of the said Bishop from the date of his death until the appointment and consecration of his successor; and it shall be lawful for any such administrator to exercise such powers and perform such duties accordingly, and to execute all documents required to give effect thereto; and such documents shall have the same force and effect as if they had been duly signed and sealed by the said Bishop in his lifetime.\n\n(2) When the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Perth fails to make any such appointment the Vicar Capitular shall be deemed to have been so appointed and he may exercise the powers and perform the duties referred to in subsection (1) in accordance therewith.\n\n[Section 3 amended: No. 67 of 1972 s. 11.]\n\nNotes\n\n1 This reprint is a compilation as at 7 February 2003 of the *Roman Catholic Church Property Act Amendment Act 1912* and includes the amendments made by the other written laws referred to in the following table 4. The table also contains information about any previous reprint.\n\nCompilation table\n\n| **Short title** | **Number and year** | **Assent** | **Commencement** |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| *Roman Catholic Church Property Act Amendment Act 1912* | 32 of 1912 | 10 Oct 1912 | 10 Oct 1912 |\n| *Roman Catholic Church Property Act Amendment Act 1934* | 5 of 1934 | 12 Oct 1934 | 12 Oct 1934 |\n| *Acts Amendment (Roman Catholic Church Lands) Act 1972* Pt. III | 67 of 1972 | 16 Nov 1972 | 16 Nov 1972 |\n| **Reprint of the *Roman Catholic Church Property Act Amendment Act 1912* as at 28 Jul 1987** (includes amendments listed above) | | | |\n\n\n2 These powers now exercised by the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Perth as a corporation sole called “The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Perth”: see *Roman Catholic Church Property Acts Amendment Act 1916* s. 3.\n\n3 Now the Archdiocese of Perth. See *Roman Catholic Church Property Acts Amendment Act 1916* s. 2.\n\n4 This Act is to be read as one with the following Act:\n\n *Roman Catholic Church Property Act 1911.*\n\nThis Act is affected by the following Act:\n\n\t\t*Roman Catholic Church Property Acts Amendment Act 1916.*\n\n  Other relevant written laws:\n\n *Roman Catholic Church Lands Ordinance 1858*\n\n *The Roman Catholic Church Lands Act 1895*\n\n *Roman Catholic Church Lands Amendment Act 1902*\n\n *Roman Catholic Geraldton Church Property Act 1925*\n\n *Roman Catholic New Norcia Church Property Act 1929*\n\n *Roman Catholic Bunbury Church Property Act 1955*\n\n\t\t*Roman Catholic Bishop of Broome Property Act 1957*.\n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"Unauthenticated. Configure AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY or use a provider module. Learn more: https://ai-sdk.dev/unauthenticated-ai-gateway","source":"analysis-cron"},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":4,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"The core mechanical scope (delegation of property powers and interim administration on the Bishop's death) remains, but later laws changed who holds those powers and how they are exercised. Notes record that powers are now exercised by the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Perth as a corporation sole and amendments in 1916, 1934 and 1972 altered terminology and some appointment mechanics. Practically, this shifts the legal subject from an individual Bishop to a corporate office and adds cross-references to other Church property statutes."},"complexity_factors":["Narrow subject-matter (delegation and interim administration of episcopal property powers) which reduces complexity relative to broad statutes.","Dependence on the principal Act (Roman Catholic Church Property Act 1911) — requires cross-reading to see full scope of delegated powers.","Multiple later amendments and reprints (noted amendments 1916, 1934, 1972) and references to other Church property Acts, increasing interpretive burden.","Change in legal personhood (powers now exercised by the Archbishop as a corporation sole) requires mapping historical office names to current legal entities.","Formalities required: appointments must be by written instrument under hand and seal and the Vicar Capitular must be elected by consultors — procedural/compliance steps for validity.","Automatic succession rule (Vicar Capitular deemed appointed if no prior appointment) creates a default legal effect that affects third-party reliance.","Grants legal force to documents executed by appointees as if signed by the Bishop — important for property transactions and title certainty."],"plain_english_summary":"This Act lets the Roman Catholic Bishop of Perth appoint in writing the Vicar Capitular (elected by consultors) or a priest to act as his attorney for property powers under the principal Act, and to appoint an administrator to act from his death until a successor is consecrated. Documents they sign have the same legal force as the Bishop's. It affects diocesan officers and anyone contracting with the diocese; the diocese bears the administrative task of producing formal instruments and third parties gain clearer continuity when transacting in church property."},"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This amendment Act remains tightly scoped to its original purpose: facilitating the delegation of property management powers for the Perth Catholic diocese and ensuring continuity upon the Bishop's death. The notes indicate subsequent amendments merely updated titles (Bishop to Archbishop, Diocese to Archdiocese) without expanding the substantive scope."},"complexity_factors":["Very short statute: only 3 sections including the short title","Minimal defined terms: relies on external understanding of ecclesiastical titles (Vicar Capitular, consultors)","Simple conditional logic: only one fallback provision in section 3(2) for when no administrator is appointed","No cross-referencing maze: only references the principal Act (1911) and basic mechanics of appointment","Straightforward procedural mechanism: appointment by written instrument under hand and seal"],"plain_english_summary":"This short Western Australian law from 1912 tweaks the rules about who can manage property for the Catholic Church in Perth.\n\n**What it does:**\n\n*   **Lets the Bishop delegate powers:** The Roman Catholic Bishop of Perth can appoint two specific church officials — the Vicar Capitular (a temporary administrator elected by senior priests) and another priest — to act as his \"attorneys.\" This means they can sign documents and handle property matters on his behalf under the 1911 Act.\n\n*   **Plans for succession:** The Bishop can also appoint an \"administrator\" (either the Vicar Capitular or another priest) to take over his property management duties immediately after his death, bridging the gap until a new Bishop is appointed and consecrated (officially made a Bishop in a ceremony). If the Bishop dies without naming someone, the Vicar Capitular automatically gets the job.\n\n**Who it affects:**\n\n*   The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Perth and his senior clergy\n*   Anyone buying, selling, or leasing church property in Western Australia\n\n**Why it matters:**\n\nChurches often hold significant land and assets. This law ensures there's no legal limbo if the Bishop is unavailable or dies — business can continue without waiting for a new leader to be installed. The notes indicate the titles have since changed (now \"Archbishop\" and \"Archdiocese\"), but the basic mechanism remains."},"summary":{"complexity_score":1,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"Scope cannot be assessed as no legislative content was retrievable. The submission contains only a website error message, not the text of the Act."},"complexity_factors":["No legislative text was provided — only a website error/redirect page","Analysis based solely on the Act's title, which provides minimal information","Impossible to assess operative provisions, definitions, schedules, or cross-references without the actual text","Historical 1912 legislation may use archaic legal language, but this cannot be confirmed"],"plain_english_summary":"The Roman Catholic Church Property Act Amendment Act 1912 (WA) is a short, historical statute that amended earlier rules governing how the Roman Catholic Church in Western Australia could hold, transfer and be legally responsible for land and buildings. It primarily affects church bodies, trustees, landholders and anyone dealing with church property — its details matter for ownership, transfers and liability, but the specific changes aren’t available without the Act text."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/roman-catholic-church-property-act-amendment-act-1912","history":"/api/acts/roman-catholic-church-property-act-amendment-act-1912/history","analysis":"/api/acts/roman-catholic-church-property-act-amendment-act-1912/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/roman-catholic-church-property-act-amendment-act-1912/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/roman-catholic-church-property-act-amendment-act-1912/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/roman-catholic-church-property-act-amendment-act-1912/documents"}}