A canon (from the Latin canonicus, itself derived from the Greek κανωνικος 'relating to a rule') is a priest who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule (canon).
Originally, a canon was a cleric living with others in a clergyhouse or, later, in one of the houses within the precinct or close of a cathedral and ordering his life according to the orders or rules of the church. This way of life began to become common (and be referred to in manuscripts) in the 8th century. In the 11th century, some churches required clergy thus living together to adopt the rule first proposed by Saint Augustine that they renounce private wealth. Those who embraced this change were known as Augustinian or regular canons, whilst those who did not were known as secular canons.
One of the functions of the cathedral canons in the Roman Catholic Church is to elect a Vicar Capitular (now named a Diocesan Administrator in English) to serve during a sede vacante period of the diocese.
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