What's A Diocesan Chancellor, Anyhow?

My correspondent writes,

I am trying to educate myself about the role of diocesan Chancellor. I had assumed that this position would necessarily be held by a lawyer, or at least a canon lawyer, who would advise the bishop and diocesan committees on any legal issues that might arise . But according to Wikipedia, and who are we to challenge that magisterium?, this position is more like a cross between an archivist and a notary. So it is not surprising that Bp Lopes' administrative assistant currently holds that position in the OCSP. However, this does not mean that the Ordinariate does not also require legal expertise.

I recall that when Divine Worship debuted clergy were initially told that copyright rules forbade the production of any sort of pew booklet with mass texts. Even a handout with the day's Scripture readings was forbidden; then it was decided that these could be made available---as long as people were prevented from taking them home! Now, as a new issue of [Ordinariate Observer] is in preparation, clergy have been asked to submit pictures, making sure that any pictures including minors are accompanied by signed permission forms from parents or guardians. These seem, in the light of the St Thomas More debacle, classic instances of straining out a gnat while swallowing a camel.

I did some searching on this myself and found this Wikipedia entry. Since most of us who come here are current or recovering Anglicans, it appears that we may have missed an important distinction: an Anglican chancellor is in fact an attorney, while a Catholic chancellor is more or less a notary who vouches for the authenticity of a bishop's actions and maintains the archive. A visitor has sent me this link to the description of a Chancellor's duties in the Catholic canons.

It appears that the two chancellors appointed by Msgr Steenson were attorneys, and that suggests he may have had the Anglican role in mind. Bp Lopes appears to have a Catholic view of the position. On the other hand, based on my correspondent's account, it does appear that the OCSP is lacking strong legal leadership at this point, which contributes to an overall impression that things are in disorder.