First, the Anglican Church of Canada has published A Response to the Windsor Report. (Also available in PDF format.)
Second, the Council of General Synod of the Canadian church has taken action on the St Michael Report:
Council considered resolutions and canonical amendments regarding the St. Michael Report. The resolutions were revised by Ron Stevenson, Stephen Andrews, Sue Moxley and Bob Falby. A significant revision is that the motions at General Synod would required approval by 60 per cent of each order or 60 per cent of dioceses if a vote by diocese is requested.
The Chancellor moved that three of the resolutions proposed be sent to General Synod:
* 2. That resolutions 3 and 4 below be deemed to have been carried only if they receive the affirmative votes of 60 per cent of the members of each Order present and voting and if a vote by diocese is requested, only if they receive the affirmation of 60 per cent of the dioceses whose votes are counted.
* 3. That this General Synod resolves that the blessing of same-sex unions is consistent with the core doctrine of the Anglican Church of Canada.
* 5. That this General Synod requests the Council of General Synod to consider revision of Canon 21 (On Marriage) including theological rationale to allow marriage of all legally qualified persons and to report at the next General Synod (2010).The motion carried.
John Steele moved that the proposed wording regarding a canonical change also be sent to General Synod. The motion was defeated.
The Anglican Journal reported it this way: Blessings vote to be decided by resolution.
Reuters had Canadian Anglican leaders promote same-sex blessings.
The Canadian response looks like a principled, theologically sound, dialogical one. Especially to be noted is what it says about the hermeneutics of Scripture — as opposed to the odour of fundamentalism attaching to Lambeth 1.10.
By the terms of the Tanzania communique, should the Canadians be excommunicated along with the Episcopalian Church?
I am not a Canadian, so I’m not sure I should be commenting on this, but frankly I think the change should be canonical. From the conservative perspective, a canonical change requires a high level of support, From the liberal perspective, a canonical change provides the same kind of stability and legal footing as the marriage canons. The precedent of remarriage after divorce is a fair one.
A Response to the Windsor Report comes as a breath of fresh air. There have been so many dishonest, cynical and politically motivated reports–from Issues to Windsor to the C of E Bishops’ ‘Pastoral’ Letter, to the recent stuff from Dar es Salaam–that this is refreshing, encouraging and outstanding in content and the process that delivered it. All people of all viewpoints and experiences have been consulted, respected and their views included. The whole process has been participative, egalitarian and open, with full participation of ‘lay people’–and it shows. The medium is the message. Minority voices of many kinds have… Read more »
Laurence, the Windsor rewriting of Li Tim Oi’s story to serve the purposes of ++Drexel Gomez et alii is pretty awful to behold. It a good thing that the Canadian Church responded to a revision of her story that stood 180 degrees from her own understanding of her vocation and that of Bishop Hall. Mark Harris posted about this on her feast day this year, http://anglicanfuture.blogspot.com/search?q=li+tim+oi I left a comment, as Li Moksi was one of my most beloved friends. The church’s tradition is not about stasis, but about life. Faithfulness is not taking a stand, but taking a journey.… Read more »
From the liberal perspective, a canonical change provides the same kind of stability and legal footing as the marriage canons.
The CoGS also decided that any resolution passed by General Synod must be passed by a 60% margin in order to pass in order to provide that stability and legal footing.
Good document: I’d highlight these points in the Response: 14. We affirm Windsor’s call to “those bishops who believe it is their conscientious duty to intervene in provinces, dioceses and parishes other than their own: * To express regret for the consequences of their action * To affirm their desire to remain in the Communion, and * To effect a moratorium on further interventions. We also call upon these archbishops and bishops to seek an accommodation with the bishops of the dioceses whose parishes they have taken into their own care.” (¶155) We as a Province have been affected by… Read more »
Bear in mind that this is not yet a Canadian response; it is merely the putting forward of resolutions. The response will be more adequately judged after the votes in June. The resolutions can be amended at Synod, which happened to the SSB resolutions in 2004.
It seems the Anglican Communion, not the British SORs, is the proper place to voice concern for the Freedom of Conscience.
Laurence, the Windsor rewriting of Li Tim Oi’s story to serve the purposes of ++Drexel Gomez et alii is pretty awful to behold. It a good thing that the Canadian Church responded to a revision of her story that stood 180 degrees from her own understanding of her vocation and that of Bishop Hall. Mark Harris posted about this on her feast day this year, http://anglicanfuture.blogspot.com/search?q=li+tim+oi I left a comment, as Li Moksi was one of my most beloved friends. Alison Thanks Alison for sharing this. I am so glad you knew her like this. I have long admired her… Read more »
So funny how important some people think Canada and TEC etc are in all this – don’t you realise that even financial threats have not worked to date and there is a clear view emerging in the AC that it is willing to see TEC and its small friends around the place walk – we can afford to lose a small no of declining churches from the AC (in fact it will free us up to get on with the mission of the AC) – don’t you realise, your PB has just signed up to the formation of the new… Read more »
NP, not according to the Tanzania communique she isn’t. It is supposed to cause a withdrawal from outside, whilst this communion and local primatial oversight sets up, except the infiltrators received assurances about CANA continuing which renders that primatial oversight fairly pointless come September 30 or any further deadline.
OK the Canadian text is not a response, properly, yet.
At the end of the day, a change in canons is almost certainly required. As I interpret the defeat of the one resolution, the intention would be to begin such a process of canonical change only at or after General Synod 2010. One of the great canards emerging from the so-called Global South has been that the “liberals” have rushed headlong into this innovation. While I cannot speak to all times and all places, I can say that a “liberal” bishop declining consent to successive synod resolutions (as +Michael Ingham did in New Westminster) hardly constitutes a headlong rush. Likewise,… Read more »
(Quote) The church’s tradition is not about stasis, but about life. Faithfulness is not taking a stand, but taking a journey. (Unquote) Wow thanks loads A. for putting this into words. I too resonate more with the centering image of being a pilgrim, rather than being a canon lawyer. Pilgrims take stands, too, of course; but they always know they are called into daily transformation, even if that just means we keep on keeping one for the time being. From some relative distance, I feel sorry for the realignment folks, because common sense suggests they are bound to be disappointed… Read more »
Wow, I feel a bit ashamed. I didn’t know about Rev Li Tim Oi’s story. I suppose this is what Lambeth relies on. Happy ignorance and blind obedience of the sort pledged to Duncan in the Westfields Response. I saw the name mentioned a couple of times and looked over it, until now. The most appalling thing is the Windsor Report’s lies and disrespect of this woman. The most astonishing thing is that the women who know of this are so temperate in their response, such as Bishop Tottenham. The Windsor Report has nothing to do with God. Nothing to… Read more »
NP writes: “There is a clear view emerging in the AC that it is willing to see TEC and its small friends around the place walk – we can afford to lose a small no of declining churches from the AC (in fact it will free us up to get on with the mission of the AC)” I seem to remember someone writing ‘The eye cannot say to the hand “I don’t need you.” And the head cannot say to the feet “I don’t need you”…There should be no division in the body..its parts should have equal concern for each… Read more »
This is the sort of reasoned and thoughtful contribution Robin Eames was expecting from Provinces when he said the Windsor Report was a process and not a judgment. However the Anglican Communion website tells us in bold print: “The Reception Process has now closed” We are now at the “Covenant Reception” time. We are assured that: “What is to be offered in the Covenant is not the invention of a new way of being Anglican, but a fresh restatement and assertion of the faith which we as Anglicans have received, and a commitment to inter-dependent life such as always in… Read more »
(To turn the song from the “South Park” movie on its head) Praise Canada! 😀 ***** “- don’t you realise, your PB has just signed up to the formation of the new Anglican church in the US with a new leader chosen from outside?” NP, to those of us who are *very concerned* about the “Primatial Vicar” proposal, quotes such as yours can only help us SLOW DOWN, and look ***carefully*** at what this proposal requires (in varied interpretations, e.g. yours). Thanks! ;-/ [NB: it’s interesting to see that even some Episcopalian *conservatives* like Bp. John Howe (Central Florida, IIRC),… Read more »
“…PB has just signed up to the formation of the new Anglican church in the US with a new leader chosen from outside?” A dog might wag its tail to be nice, but that doesn’t mean that the dog is being wagged. People might want to be careful not to drool over their fantasies being fulfilled. In sharing their dreams with what they want to do to us, they repulse others away as well as us. Actually, maybe it is better that they continue to insult and attempt to intimidate us. At least they are proving that they do what… Read more »
crypto – the point is TEC is proving repeatedly and consistently that it is from a different body and the body analogy was never meant to accomodate heresy, as you know…….but there is time up to 30th Sept for TEC repentance.
JCF – I think TEC ought to think very carefully before accepting a PV because it is an unprecendented giving away of authority in a province….as some have said, the ABC would not accept it in England
(it is a fudge and we have all eaten enough sour fudge, nobody gains from all this strife – I prefer a clear solution to the problem that we have of 2 religions in one organisation)
yes Cheryl – it is better if we have open and honest intentions and actions – that’s what was good about Tanzania (there was more clarity than ever before on the response required being unequivocal)
(what we do NOT need is eg Griswold both being part of a call for VGR not to be made bishop and then presiding over that occasion – we do NOT need that sort of “thinking” or “integrity” any more because it has been proven to be destructive)
“…we do NOT need that sort of “thinking” or “integrity” any more…” This “we” have never wanted this kind of “thinking” or “integrity” at at anytime. The only reason the “any more” phrase is being used is they haven’t worked out how to gag the dialogue yet. Have no illusion that if there was some way of bring back the censorship clamps, they would do so. These priests who now say “sorry God, we know we got busted by the secular states, but we are so sorry and we fully repent, so don’t make us have to be nice to… Read more »
NP wrote: “JCF – I think TEC ought to think very carefully before accepting a PV because it is an unprecendented giving away of authority in a province….as some have said, the ABC would not accept it in England”
Moreover, she hasn’t got it, so she can’t give it away.
A Presiding Bishop is not a Primate.