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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>81715</law_id><section_number>57-16</section_number><catch_line>Property held, etc., by ecclesiastical officers</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>57-18</reference><reference>57-7.1</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="57">Religious and Charitable Matters; Cemeteries</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="2">Church Property; Benevolent Associations and Objects</unit><unit label="article" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="2">Property Held for Religious Purposes</unit></structure><text>
						<section id="A"><p><span class="prefix-number">A.</span> How property acquired, held, transferred, etc. &#x2014; Whenever the <span class="dictionary">laws</span>, rules or ecclesiastic polity of any church or religious sect, society or denomination commits to its duly elected or appointed bishop, minister or other ecclesiastical officer, authority to administer its affairs, such duly elected or appointed bishop, minister or other ecclesiastical officer shall have power to acquire by deed, devise, gift, purchase or otherwise, any real or personal property, for any purpose authorized and permitted by its <span class="dictionary">laws</span>, rules or ecclesiastic polity, and not prohibited by the <span class="dictionary">laws</span> of Virginia, and the power to hold, improve, mortgage, sell and convey the same in accordance with such <span class="dictionary">laws</span>, rules and ecclesiastic polity, and in accordance with the <span class="dictionary">laws</span> of Virginia.
			In the event of the transfer, removal, resignation or death of any such bishop, minister, or other ecclesiastical officer, the title and all rights with respect to any such property shall pass to and become vested in his duly elected or appointed successor immediately upon election or appointment, and pending election or appointment of such successor, such title and rights shall be vested in such person or persons as shall be designated by the <span class="dictionary">laws</span>, rules, or ecclesiastical polity of such church or religious sect, society or denomination.
			All deeds, deeds of trust, mortgages, wills or other instruments made prior to March 18, 1942, to or by a duly elected or appointed bishop, minister or other ecclesiastical officer, who at the time of the making of any such deed, deed of trust, mortgage, will or other instrument, or thereafter, had authority to administer the affairs of any church or religious sect, society or denomination under its <span class="dictionary">laws</span>, rules or ecclesiastic polity, transferring property, real or personal, of any such church or religious sect, society or denomination, are hereby ratified and declared valid. All transfers of title and rights with respect to property, prior to such date from a predecessor bishop, minister or other ecclesiastical officer who has resigned or died, or has been transferred or removed, to his duly elected or appointed successor, by the <span class="dictionary">laws</span>, rules or ecclesiastic polity of any such church or religious sect, society or denomination, either by written instruments or solely by virtue of the election or appointment of such successor, are also hereby ratified and declared valid.
			No gift, grant, bequest or devise made on or after March 18, 1942, to any such church or religious sect, society or denomination or the duly elected or appointed bishop, minister or other ecclesiastical officer authorized to administer its affairs, shall fail or be declared void for insufficient designation of the beneficiaries in, or the <span class="dictionary">objects</span> of, any trust annexed to such gift, grant, bequest or devise; but such gift, grant, bequest or devise shall be valid; provided, that whenever the <span class="dictionary">objects</span> of any such trust shall be undefined, or so uncertain as not to admit of specific enforcement by the <span class="dictionary">courts</span> of the Commonwealth, such gift, grant, bequest or devise shall be held, managed, and the principal or income appropriated, for the religious and benevolent uses of such church or religious sect, society or denomination by its duly elected or appointed bishop, minister or other ecclesiastical officer authorized to administer its affairs.
			The rights created and the remedies provided in this section shall be construed as cumulative and not exclusive.
			This section shall not be so construed as to effect an implied repeal of any other provisions of this chapter. <a id="paragraph-292723" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/57-16/#A"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>1942, p. 382; Michie Code 1942, &#xA7; 38a; 1962, c. 306; 1966, c. 308; 2005, cc. 681, 772.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
