Updated Friday afternoon to add final text of resolution as carried by Synod and two further reports
The Synod debated the Anglican Covenant on Thursday afternoon. Here is the report in the Anglican Journal: A step in the right direction. Third and final draft of Covenant called ‘a very significant improvement’
The ACoC wesbite has this report: Consideration of the Covenant.
Marites N. Sison has this report at Episcopal Life: Third and final draft of Anglican Covenant called ‘a very significant improvement’.
This is the resolution as originally proposed:
A137: Anglican Communion Covenant (original text)
Be it resolved that this General Synod:
1. receive the final text of The Covenant for the Anglican Communion;
2. request that materials be prepared under the auspices of the Anglican Communion Working Group, for parishes and dioceses in order that study and consultation be undertaken on The Covenant for the Anglican Communion;
3. direct the Council of General Synod, after this period of consultation and study, to bring a recommendation regarding adoption of The Covenant for the Anglican Communion to the General Synod of 2013.
But this was amended. However the ACoC website has not yet published the amended text. We will bring you the final text as soon as we can.
This was amended by the addition of two extra paragraphs. The resolution was then carried by Synod.
A137: Anglican Communion Covenant (carried as amended)
Be it resolved that this General Synod:
1. receive the final text of The Covenant for the Anglican Communion;
2. request that materials be prepared under the auspices of the Anglican Communion Working Group, for parishes and dioceses in order that study and consultation be undertaken on The Covenant for the Anglican Communion;
3. request that conversations, both within the Anglican Church of Canada and across the Communion, reflect the values of openness, transparency, generosity of spirit, and integrity, which have been requested repeatedly in the context of the discussion of controversial matters within the Communion;
4. request that the proposed Covenant be referred to the Faith, Worship and Ministry Committee and to the Governance Working Group in order to support these conversations by providing advice on the theological, ecclesiological, legal, and constitutional implications of a decision to adopt or not to adopt the Covenant;
5. direct the Council of General Synod, after this period of consultation and study, to bring a recommendation regarding adoption of The Covenant for the Anglican Communion to the General Synod of 2013.
A second motion was ruled out of order by the chair.
C004: Decision to adopt Anglican Covenant (ruled out of order)
Be it resolved that this General Synod:
1. Affirm the commitment of the Anglican Church of Canada to full participation in the life and mission of the Anglican Communion; and
2. Will consider a formal decision to adopt the proposed Anglican Covenant after the Church of England has formally adopted it.
What we can Likely look forward to, with regard to The Anglican “Covenant” and Canada, is three years of “study and discernment”. Then at the next GS in 2013, riding on the model of the process and sexuality statement now hailed in the GS reporting as an “historical decision” , is another well managed “respectful dialogue” that will circumvent any real debate. After all, the covenant process has now been handed over to the same Committee that was largely responsible for the current process on sexuality. The one glimmer of hope is that the covenant to may also end up… Read more »
“A second motion was ruled out of order by the chair.
C004: Decision to adopt Anglican Covenant (ruled out of order)” Proceedings of Canadian G.S.
I knew the Holy Spirit would be in there somewhere!
Ron, you realize that C004 was rally an Anti-covenant motion?
I like ‘ bring us to our happy place.’ I wonder what its background is ?
Whatever it may be , I think it is a great phrase.
Posted by: Pantycelyn on Saturday, 12 June 2010 at 8:18pm BST
“I like ‘ bring us to our happy place.’ I wonder what its background is ?
Whatever it may be , I think it is a great phrase.”
I picked that up from one of kids years ago, its often used tongue in cheek. ( :
http://www.crystalinks.com/yourhappyplace.html
“Ron, you realize that C004 was rally an Anti-covenant motion?” – Rod Gills on Saturday –
The answer Rod is ‘NO!’ I did not. On the face of it, and in the context, I understood that the defeat of C004 was a defeat of the Covenant. Was I wrong?
My intention was to say that anything that defeats the imposition of the Covenant must be right!
Apologies if I was wrong in this assumption.
Ron, my take on this resolution is that is calling the bluff of the C of E and its prelates. I think it unfortunate the GS did not get a chance to debate it. We never had a chance to hear what the movers and senders intended. Thanks for your posts. I really enjoy your take on so many things. -Rod
C004 would have directed that no motion be brought to the Canadian General Synod about adopting the Covenant until the Church of England had adopted it. After all, it would be embarrassing if the Canadian Church (or others) were to adopt it, but the Church of England ultimately decided not to. C004 was not debated because it was ruled out of order—because the main motion directs the Council of General Synod to come to General Synod 2013 with a proposal about what to do with the Covenant. A motion like C004 would be in order then.
C004 was our own Canon Perry’s motion to defer consideration of the Covenant until such time as the Church of England adopts it. Synod instead passed the House of Bishops-sponsored A137, which sets in motion the process of “reception” and discernment of the Covenant.
Good, comments have clarified that C004 was not Covenant friendly. It was predictable that it would be ruled out of order if the motion that subsequently passed was passed. This also saved GS delegates form the trauma of debating a possibly contentious issue. To my fellow Canadians out there, don’t spend a lot of time Studying the “covenant”, given what has happened at GS 2010, do you really think the Bishops. CoGS, and Faith Worship Ministry are going to allow a situation to develop in which there will be the possibility of a “No” vote. Rather I expect a another… Read more »
Thanks Rod, Geoff & Copyhold, for clarification of this issue. One can now see the intention behind the proposing of C004 – and the reality of the outcome of its rejection. It would have been quite nice of the Synod had decided not to do anything about affirming the Covenant UNTIL the English G.S. had accepted it as part of their polity. May I say how interested i am in what happens in our sister Church in Canada. We, in New Zealand, are not too different from yourselves – in our relationship to Canterbury and other ex-colonial niceties. We, like… Read more »