Thinking Anglicans

ACC – Anglican Covenant

on Friday, 8 May 2009 at 5.54 pm by Simon Sarmiento
categorised as Anglican Communion

Updated again 10.45 pm London time
Colin Coward now has Final version of the Resolution on the Anglican Communion Covenant. Colin writes:

This is the resolution as amended in the course of this afternoon’s debate at the ACC-14 meeting in Jamaica.

The effect of the resolution is to delay sending the Covenant out to the Provinces for something like 6 months and to open the possibility of Section 4 of the Ridley Cambridge draft being revised.

Clauses c and d were included from an earlier draft after people spoke strongly both for and against. The vote was 40 in favour and 33 against integrating the clauses. I think the votes represent the division between those who want no further delay but want the present Ridley Cambridge draft to be sent straight to the Provinces, and those who prefer that the Communion takes proper time to consider the possible revision of section 4 of the Covenant.

Clause e was amended in the course of the debate, adding ‘as The Anglican Communion Covenant’.

The vote on whether to approve or not the final clause, f, has yet to be reported. If approved, the agreed resolution will read as follows:

Resolution B: Draft Resolution on the Covenant

The ACC:

a) thanks the Covenant Design Group for their faithfulness and responsiveness in producing the drafts for an Anglican Communion Covenant and, in particular for the Ridley Cambridge Draft submitted to this meeting;

b) recognises that an Anglican Communion Covenant may provide an effective means to strengthen and promote our common life as a Communion;

c) asks the Archbishop of Canterbury, in consultation with the Secretary General, to appoint a small working group to consider and consult with the Provinces on Section 4 and its possible revision, and to report to the next meeting of the Joint Standing Committee;

d) asks the JSC, at that meeting, to approve a final form of Section 4;

e) asks the Secretary General to send the revised Ridley Cambridge Text, at that time, only to the member Churches of the Anglican Consultative Council for consideration and decision on acceptance or adoption by them as The Anglican Communion Covenant;

f) asks those member Churches to report to ACC-15 on the progress made in the processes of response to, and acceptance or adoption of, the Covenant.

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10.00 pm update

Colin Coward has this report of what happened in the morning session and the new draft resolution that has emerged: Confused morning session results in Draft C of Covenant Design Process resolution

This session of ACC-14, which has been extended into the afternoon, has been getting itself hopelssly confused in trying to deal with the original draft motion on the Covenant Design Process which contained two Resolutions, A and B (see earlier blog). Delegates are in conflict as to whether or not to adopt section A or instead, revise Section B. They have just voted and agreed to reject in its entirety Clause A, 17 votes for, 47 against, 1 abstention.

A new draft resolution was prepared during the lunch break and is now being debated, with two new clauses being debated as amendments to the original Section B.

Draft Resolution C reads:

The ACC:

a) thanks the Covenant Design Group for their faithfulness and responsiveness in producing the drafts for an Anglican Communion Covenant and, in particular for the Ridley Cambridge Draft submitted to this meeting;

b) recognises that an Anglican Communion Covenant may provide an effective means to strengthen and promote our common life as a Communion;

c) asks the Archbishop of Canterbury, in consultation with the Secretary General, to appoint a small working group to consider and consult with the Provinces on Section 4 and its possible revision, and to report to the next meeting of the Joint Standing Committee;

d) asks the JSC, at that meeting, to approve a final form of Section 4;

e) asks the Secretary General to send the revised Ridley Cambridge draft, at that time, only to the member Churches of the Anglican Consultative Council for consideration and decision on acceptance or adoption by them;

e) asks those member Churches to report to ACC-15 on the progress made in the processes of response to, and acceptance or adoption of, the Covenant.

It is now being debated and voted on clause by clause.

Again, there is a status report at Episcopal Café .

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Colin Coward has published the text of the draft resolution:

Covenant Decision Process

Resolution A: Status of Section 4

The ACC:

a) resolves that section 4 of the Ridley Cambridge Draft be detached from the Ridley Cambridge Draft for further consideration and work;

b) asks the Archbishop of Canterbury, in consultation with the Secretary General, to appoint a small working group to consider and consult with the Provinces on Section 4 and its possible revision, and to report to the next meeting of the Joint Standing Committee;

c) resolves that the reconsidered Section 4 may, at the request of the JSC, be offered for adoption as an addendum to the Covenant text.

Resolution B: Draft Resolution on the Covenant

The ACC:

a) thanks the Covenant Design Group for their faithfulness and responsiveness in producing the drafts for an Anglican Communion Covenant and, in particular for the Ridley Cambridge Draft submitted to this meeting;

b) recognises that an Anglican Communion Covenant may provide an effective means to strengthen and promote our common life as a Communion;

c) asks the Secretary General to send the Ridley Cambridge draft, at this time, only to the member Churches of the Anglican Consultative Council for consideration and decision on acceptance or adoption by them;

d) asks those member Churches to report to ACC-15 on the progress made in the processes of response to, and acceptance or adoption of, the Covenant.

There is a status report on the debate here.