The Church of Ireland held its annual General Synod in Christ Church Cathedral Dublin from Thursday 6 to Saturday 8 May, 2010. There is an official Synod 2010 website with links to reports, news items and photographs.
One debate included some discussion of the proposed Anglican Covenant:
Inter-Anglican and Ecumenical Relations Highlighted in Standing Committee Debate.
Here is the Anglican Communion section of the Standing Committee report.
3. ANGLICAN COMMUNION
In June 2009, the Standing Committee appointed the Anglican Covenant Working Group to examine Section 4 of the Ridley Cambridge Draft of the Anglican Covenant and to recommend a response.
In September 2009, the Standing Committee adopted the report of the Anglican Covenant Working Group (Appendix B on page 233) as the official response to Section 4 of the Ridley Cambridge draft of the Anglican Covenant from the Standing Committee of the General Synod of the Church of Ireland. This response was then forwarded to the Anglican Communion Office.
The final text of the Anglican Covenant (Appendix C on page 234) was submitted to the Standing Committee in January 2010. The Committee agreed to refer the final text of the Anglican Covenant to the Commission for Christian Unity and Dialogue to enable the Commission to make a recommendation concerning appropriate action in relation to the Covenant at the General Synod 2011.
APPENDIX B
THE CHURCH OF IRELAND RESPONSE TO THE RIDLEY CAMBRIDGE DRAFT OF THE ANGLICAN COVENANTHaving considered Section 4 of the Draft Anglican Covenant very carefully, and bearing in mind a full range of points of view, we believe that the text of Section 4 as it stands commends itself in the current circumstances. The term ‘Joint Standing Committee’ clearly needs to be updated following its re-styling at ACC-14. We appreciate the work of the former Covenant Design Group, not least in taking into account the Church of Ireland’s views, and encourage the Archbishop of Canterbury and his new group under the chairmanship of the Archbishop of Dublin as they seek to conclude the work on the text of the Covenant.
“we believe that the text of Section 4 as it stands commends itself in the current circumstances”
Well that’s disappointing.
“Having considered Section 4 of the Draft Anglican Covenant very carefully, and bearing in mind a full range of points of view, we believe that the text of Section 4 as it stands commends itself in the current circumstances” – Appendix B, C.of I. Response to the Covenant – Bearing in mind that Appendix B was presented by the Standing Committee of the Church of Ireland to the recent 2010 General Synod of that Church, one wonders if there will be any change at all to this thinking before the proposed next meeting of the Irish General Synod in 2011.… Read more »
I am one of those Roman Catholics who thinks it is one of the greatest of all scandals of Christianity that we are not in full communion with our Anglican, Orthodox (Greek, Russian and every kind of Orthodox on Earth), and yes Methodist brothers and sisters. I know many Methodists of the extreme liberal branch who do incredible social justice work with the poor and hungry, as well as outreach to the glbt community. I know many Lutherans who also fit into the same category. It is truly ridiculous that at this late date in the early twenty-first century that… Read more »
Thank you for your kind words Chris Smith, but we can’t even agree on things like the Apostolic succession within the AC, (and we, TEC, did a really shameful “snub” to our fellow Lutherans in the U.S. over this issue) let alone beyond it.
It is still refreshing to know that our travails are felt beyond our self-drawn borders, and yes, it ultimately distances us from God.
Now about that music we’d have at that common table….
Isn’t this the most important language? — “and his new group under the chairmanship of the Archbishop of Dublin.”
Of course the Standing Committee of the Church of Ireland is not going to get out in front of, or contradict, the work of that group.