First, a report from Australia Brisbane defers the Covenant. The motion they passed in diocesan synod was this:
That this Synod recommends to the General Synod that it:
- Affirm the commitment of the Anglican Church of Australia to the Anglican Communion.
- Affirm its readiness to engage with any ongoing process of consideration of the Anglican Communion Covenant
- Request clarification from the 15th meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council as to the status and direction of the Covenant Process in the light of the position of the Church of England.
- Urge upon the Instruments of Communion a course of action which continues to see reconciliation and the preservation of the Communion as a family of interdependent but autonomous Churches.
Second, Paul Bagshaw has two further articles discussing the recent meeting of the “Standing Committee of the Anglican Communion” which we reported here.
In both these articles, he suggests that there may be conflicts between English charity law (which is what governs the ACC in its constitution) and the interpretations of the Anglican Covenant which the Standing Committee has adopted.
In the first article he also comments on the recent GS1878: report by the Business Committee on the reference [of the Covenant] to the dioceses.
“Request clarification from the 15th meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council as to the status and direction of the Covenant Process in the light of the position of the Church of England.” – from the Diocese of Brisbane statement – Can one not love the Diocese of Brisbane’s tongue in cheek wording here? The very notion of waiting upon the ACO’s thoughts about the Church of England’s rejection of the Anglican Covenant process, before committing one’s-self to it, is absolutely priceless – and, incidentally, quite legitimate. Why should the dispersed Provinces of the Communion vote for a restrictive covenant process… Read more »
Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia has rejected the proposed Covenant, but subscribed to Sections 1 – 3 as providing a useful starting point for consideration of our Anglican understanding of the church.
Also affirmed its commitment to the Communion, and committed to used processes similar to those of Section 3 if another church has concerns about this church’s actions
I have reported the Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia vote here:
http://www.thinkinganglicans.org.uk/archives/005590.html
Please make any comments specific to New Zealand there and not here.