SUSPENSION, ECCLESIASTICAL, is a mode of censure or secondary punishment inflicted by the church on persons guilty of those minor offences which do not deserve the severer penalties of deprivation or excommunication. " In the laws of the church," says Bishop Gibson, " we read of two sorts of suspension—one relating solely to the clergy, the other extending also to the laity." " That which relates solely to the clergy is suspension ab officio et beneficio (that is, the duties and income of his office) jointly, or ab officio or beneficio singly, and may be called a temporary degradation or deprivation, or both. " The other, which relates to the laity also, is suspension, ab ingress:6 ccclesim (that is, from entering the church), or from the hearing of divine service and receiving the holy sacrament, which may therefore be called a temporary excommunication.", He also observes that the two sorts of suspension agree in this, that both are inflicted for crimes of an inferior nature ; that both, in practice at least, are temporary; and lastly, both, if unduly performed, are attended with further penalties. (See Gibs., ' Cod.; tit. xlvi., cap. 3.) In the Roman Catholic Church various kinds of suspension were inflicted for a great variety of offences. A few may be mentioned to illustrate the nature of this punishment. A bishop might be suspen ded from wearing the sacred vestments of his order, or from exercising his power of collating, instituting, or presenting to livings, or from the exercise of his jurisdiction, or from his office and benefice, or even from entering the church. These various species of punishment were inflicted for such offences as delaying to consecrate a church after proper application, not punishing concubinary priests, or corrupt and irregular practices in instituting persons to ecclesiastical preferments.
The inferior orders of the clergy and other religious persons might be mspended from their office or benefice, or from performing service. or from receiving the sacrament, or from entering the church. The >ffences so punished were delay or irregularity in the performance of leir duties, not wearing a proper dress, violating the rules of their irder with respect to eating and drinking, neglecting to receive the ;acrament at Easter, or extortion.
Suspension was either imposed by sentence after trial, in which case t must have been preceded by admonition, or was ipso facto upon the )erpetration of certain crimes. (Gibs., Cod.; ubi supra.) Suspension has been retained as a mode of punishment in the :',nglish church. By the 33rd canon of 1603, a bishop ordaining a ierson who has not a proper title, and refusing to maintain him till he refer him to some ecclesiastical living, is to be suspended from giving orders during one year : by the 35th canon, a bishop admitting to acred orders any one not properly qualified is to be suspended from caking either deacons or priests during two years ; and by the 36th anon, a bishop ordaining any one who has not subscribed in the wanner required by that canon is to be suspended from giving orders luring twelve months.
It is also declared by the 68th canon that a minister refusing to hristen or to bury shall, except under circumstances particularly pecified by the canon, be suspended by the bishop of his diocese from is ministry by the space of three months.
The above are the principal cases in which suspension still exists as form of punishment in the church of England. . With respect to the city, this censure is now entirely disused.