Decision Number 199

Decision

It is the decision of the Judicial Council that:

1. The action of the Philippines Central Conference determining that "the retirement age of the bishops of the Philippines Central Conference be the same as that obtaining for bishops in the Jurisdictional Conferences of The Methodist Church in the United States," was and is in accordance with the law of The Methodist Church.

2. A bishop who attains age seventy years between regular sessions of a Central Conference which has adopted the retirement age applicable in Jurisdictional Conferences, is not automatically retired upon reaching his seventieth birthday, and continues in the duties and obligations of the office of bishop until the close of the next regular session of said Central Conference, at which time he shall be released therefrom.

3. The Judicial Council has no constitutional or legislative authority to nullify administrative decisions of the Council of Bishops made in accordance with the law of the church, or to issue mandates to compel the exercise of executive or administrative powers of the episcopacy and Items 3, 4 and 5 of the prayer of the appeal are, therefore, denied.