Council of Bishops

The Council of Bishops is an advisory body composed of all Bishops within the Church of the Holy Light with the explicit purpose of offering counsel and rendering assistance to the Archbishop of the Church. The Council also serves the dual purpose of acting as a temporary body of church governance in the absence of Archbiship and as the body which convenes to elect successor Archbishops.The Council of Bishops is currently headed by the Archbishop, Columban V.

It is well known that, while most of the members of the Council stand together in Church matters, a loud minority of Council members usually keep discussions locked and thus prevent swift decisions. Critics and benefactors alike have been noted toclaim that the Archbishop's greatest task is often less the deciding of religious doctrine, and more the prevention of individual members of the Council from schism.

Structure
The Council of Bishops is primarily composed of the several positions, each reserving its own degree of rights and priviledges:

Lay Members

Priests, paladins, and members of the laity who are enlisted by the Council to serve in their capacity as individuals with special skills or abilities are considered Lay Members. Lay Members aide and assist the Council, especially the Congregations, in whatever task they have stepped forward to bear and are thusly invited to attend Council meetings and may, with the sponsorship of a Seated Bishop, speak before the Council.

Bishops may invite persons to become Lay Members.

Priors
Priors are ordained and annointed men and women of ecclesiastical origin who either represent influential organizations on the council, or sit as persons whom the Council is considering for elevation to the Council, and thence to the position of Bishop. Priors have the privilege of speaking before the Council and may propose legislation or resolutions, provided they have at least one seated Bishop upon the Council to sponsor them.

Those seeking to represent their holy order as a Prior, or be considered for eventual elevation to Seated Bishop, must formally file their request for recognition with the Clerk of Council with at least one letter of support from a Seated Bishop attached. Upon the request's acceptance to the docket, the measure shall be proposed to the Council whereby, by unanimous and unianimous decision only, shall the person be recognized as a Prior.

A Prior serves in his position until either his health fails, his passage from life, or a unanimous vote of the Council of Bishops is passed to confirm his removal.

The Clerk of Council
The Clerk of Council or Council Clerk, is a non-episcopal functionary appointed by the Archbishop to serve as the Council recorder and secretary in charge of organizing the official docket of the Council, in addition, the Clerk is also responsible for the organization of Council functions and moderation of Council meetings.

Church tradition holds that the Metropolitan Secretary of State usually serves as the Clerk of Council in addition to his duties in directing other church matters. If, however, there should be no Archbishop (and thus no Metropolitan Secretary) then the Council of Bishops may appoint a Clerk of Council if a two-thirds majority vote is passed. If the Clerk was selected by the Council of Bishops, then the Clerk of Council serves in his position until either his health fails, his passage from life, or unanimous vote of the Council of Bishops is passed to confirm his removal.

The current Metropolitan Secretary of State is Eustasius Greenleaf.



Seated Bishops
Seated Bishops are recognized ordained men and women within the Church of the Holy Light who hold the title of Bishop. Bishops are the only voting members of the Council and hold the responsibility of administering the church and guiding the dioceses under their charge. In regards to the Council, the bishops are the only official members, other than the Clerk of Council.

Bishops are also the only persons allowed to vote upon matters brought before the Council, and the only persons allowed to propose legislation or resolutions of their own iniative. Bishops upon the Council also hold the responsibility of managing their own polity and may, upon unanimous  vote, elect another Bishop previously having served as a Pior, to their ranks. Bishops thusly elected serve in their positions for life unless relieved of their position by the Archbishop.

The Archbishop
The Archbishop is the stated head of the body, and, by extension, the entirety of the Church of the Holy Light. His duties are extensive and the Archbishop acts as the spirtual as well was temporal leader of the bishops. He may vote as the other Bishops but holds the unique power to remove them from office.

The Archbishop is elected from amongst the Council of Bishops and, unlike other voting matters, must be elected by unanimous decision twice before he may be elevated to the role.

The current Archbishop is Columban V.

Meetings of the Council
Council meetings are held in Nothshire Abbey. Each meeting has a preset docket for discussion. Bishops may submit items for discussion and voting to either the Clerk, the Senior Bishop or the Archbishop prior to a meeting. Only material submitted for the docket at least a day before the meeting may be voted upon at a Council Meeting. Other topics for discussion may arise during a meeting but a vote may not be called on an item which was not present on the docket. The docket is to be published before midnight on the day preceeding the meeting.

Application for Priorage
Various orders may apply for a seated member on the Council of Bishops by submitting a request to the Clerk. Then, the bishops will deliberate and a decision will be made. All voting members of the council of must agree in order for a seated member to be brought into the Council. If the vote is in favor of the order's request, a prior will be assigned. If the prior proves himself worthy over time a bishop may sponsor his cause for candidacy to the episcopacy.

Congregations
In addition to the formal meetings of the Council of Bishops, the members of the council are divided into several Congregations (sub-committees) which are each tasked with the overseeing of a specific aspect of the Church's work. Each Congregation is headed by a bishop and is composed of experts who are brought into the congregation by the head bishop (known as the Prefect). Non-bishop and Non-prior members of Congregations are considered un-seated member of the Council of Bishops. Voting in Congregations is done by majority vote.

Congregation for Sacred Liturgy
The Congregation for Sacred Liturgy (CSL) is tasked with the review and publication of liturgical texts and various rites of the Church. This includes the publication of the Codex of Rites, the Codex of Hours, and the Codex of Scripture. The prefect of the congregation is Prior Eustasius Greenleaf

Congregation for the Dwarven Rite
The Congregation for the Dwarven Rite (CDR) is tasked with the review and publication of liturgical texts and various rites of the ancient Dwarven use. It is also tasked with the promotion of the Dwarven culture of the Light and the education of the priests and paladins of the Dwarven churches. The prefect of the CDR is Bishop Johannes Moorwhelp.

Congregation for Seminary Education
The Congregation for Seminary Education (CSE) is tasked with the management of the seminary of the Council. The congregation manages and teaches the curriculum. There is currently no prefect of the conregation.

Congregation of the Silver Hand
The Congregation of the Silver Hand (CSH) is an extraordinary council in the sense that the Prefect is elected and called Grand Knight. The Congregation acts as a medium between the Silver Hand and the Council of Bishops. The prefect and Grand Knight is Countess Melysa Marwyn.

Congregation of the Inquisition
The Congregation of the Inquisition (CI) is tasked with seeking out and suppressing heresies which plague the faithful. The prefect of the congregation is Bishop Albus Hammermo. Bishop Riddle serves as an expert.

Columban V (formerly Mellar Servus)
Columban V is a proponent of traditional beliefs and practices of the faith. He is an academic, luxologian and an author.

Bishop Moorwhelp
Bishop Moorwhelp is the current Bishop of Stormwind and the head of the College of Canons. He holds a calm demeanor outside of his sermons and negotiations. He is an academic and philosopher and is known for having written books. He is well known on the Council for solving disputes between organization, fostering unity, and combating heresy by word.

He acts as senior bishop with certain distinct ceremonial duties.

Bishop Valcari
Bishop Valcari is the current Suffragan Bishop of Quel'Thalas. He is the cousin of Bishop Sunwhisper.

Bishop Tzedeck
Bishop Tzedeck is the current bishop of the Diocese of Gilneas. He is a skilled battle priest, trained under the mentorship of Bishop Neheri.

Bishop Hammermo
Bishop Albus Hammermo is the current Suffragan Bishop of Gnomeregan. He is the first Gnome to be elevated to the Episcopal Seat. He is also the prefect of the Congregation for the Inquisition.

Bishop Riddle
Bishop Riddle is the Suffragan Bishop of Alterac.

Bishop Antonius
Bishop Antonius is the current Suffragan Bishop of Stromgarde. He is a strong supporter of the restoration of Arathi and a Trollbane returing to the vacant throne.

Bishop Du'Fowl (DECEASED)
Bishop Du'Fowl is the second oldest member of the Council of Bishops. He is proponent of traditional belief and practice in the Church. He recently was dispached on a mission to Kalimdor and has been missing in action since. It is unknown if he is alive.

Bishop Electus (EXCOMMUNICATED)
Bishop Electus stepped down from the seat of the Bishop of Stormwind after his ancient thelogical ideas of the Light as a diety were rejected unanimously by the Council of Bishops. He has not since returned to Council meetings.

Bishop Greenleaf (DECEASED)
The theology of Caspius Greenleaf is generally considered to be conservative and traditionalist, and his exceptional skill with homiletics has contributed significantly to his highly positive reputation. His gentle and merciful demeanour has made him a favourite choice amongst the believers who seek confession or spiritual guidance. In addition, his homilies are usually well attended, framed as they are in language which is readily understandable and devised so as to be both educational and entertaining.

Bishop Ladekahn (RETIRED)
Bishop Ladekahn is the retired bishop of Lordaeron. A former scarlet, he is known for his rigorous following of ecclesial law. He has diplomatic ties to members of the Argent Crusade.

Bishop Alburton (REMOVED FROM OFFICE, EXCOMMUNICATED)
Bishop Luther Alburton was the Council's liason to Civil Governments and the Vicar of the Vicariate of the Silver Hand.

Bishop Sunwhisper (EXCOMMUNICATED)
Bishop Sunwhisper at one point served as bishop of Quel'Thalas.

Active Priors (Players)
Eustasius Greenleaf

Lilith Olethos

Isara Davole

Elesabeth Stanbridge

Elyona Gaius

Abram Carres

Bishop Hylan
Bishop Hylan is the oldest bishop on the Council. His age alone gives him credibility among his fellow bishops. Still, there are some who disagree with his teachings on nonhuman members of the faithful. Hylan disagrees with the Alliance's moves to create fraternity between humans and nonhumans. He believes that the races should stay separate  in order to prevent conflict. Hylan is also a devotee to traditional practices and beliefs of the faith.

Bishop Leander
Bishop Leander is devoted to the higher pleasures, namely, academic achievement. He is often found in the libraries of churches and teaches that the faithful would be best benefited by spending more time in lectures and libriaries than wars and public events. Still, unlike bishop Hylan, Leander preaches that the Light's blessing falls on all people--even those who are not faithful to the Church. Leander also feels that the Church has lost sight of the essential teachings of the faith and should return to a more simplistic way of living.

Bishop Neheri
Bishop Neheri is the youngest member of the Council. While this leads to the other members doubting him, the younger members of the clergy tend to favor his methods. Neheri is active in the work of converting nonhumans to the faith. Understandably, Neheri and Hylan often clash in discussions surrounding this matter. Neheri is noted as a gifted fighter and feels the Church should spend less time studying and more time at war against the forces of darkness.

Bishop Farthing
Bishop Farthing is the official diplomat of the Council of Bishops. Among his strongest diplomatic ties are the nation of Kul'Tiras and Dwarves of Ironforge. Farthing was noted as once of Archbishop Benedictus' favorced members of the council. He also has an expertise in the crafting of holy weapons.

Bishop DeLavey
Bishop DeLavey is the official liason of the Council to the King of Stormwind. He resides in the Stormwind Keep in order to better fulfil his duties. As such, DeLavey spends the majority of his time solving local problems. He was noted as playing a significant role in the investigation of crime circles in the region.

Bishop Ketodo
Bishop Ketodo is well known in the Council as a problem solver and an expert at executing the tasks the council gives to him. He is a skilled fighter and healer and much more prefers to be present in the fields of war than at council meetings.

Bishop Lazaril
Bishop Lazaril is well known in the Council as a diplomat to the Draenei people. She was also the council's liason to the Alliance military during the war against the Scourge. Much like Bishop Farthing, Lazaril is skilled in crafting holy weapons.