Thinking Anglicans

Have eight provinces adopted the Covenant?

The Secretary General writes: “I have received notifications from eight Provinces…” but this is not the whole story.

The promoters of the document have insisted that it has to be adopted exactly as it stands, and that adopting it only in part, or with amendments to the text, is not an option.

Item: he lists Southern Africa, which has not yet completed its process.

Item: he lists Ireland, which insisted that it had “subscribed” and evidently thought that it was important not to have used the word “adopted”. This may be an Irish subtlety too far for the rest of us to understand.

Item: he lists South East Asia which can only be said to have adopted the existing text by the application of Humpty Dumpty logic. Here is the link to the full text of their Preamble to the Letter of Accession.

So I would say that at the present time the number of adopters is really only six (including Ireland).

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Martin Reynolds
Martin Reynolds
12 years ago

I had forgotten how supportive the SE Asian preamble was to the idea that TEC was a hierarchical church.

But note the first words of the preamble say the Covenant has been adopted and then later it is to be “signed”.

Grandmère Mimi
12 years ago

Thanks, Simon. I’m pleased that you actually count before you put out numbers. I’m growing weary of the putting-facts-on-the-ground strategy of the pro-covenant folks in their hope that if the words (or numbers) are put forth enough times, they will come to be true.

Leonardo Ricardo
Leonardo Ricardo
12 years ago

My least favorite part is the fact that many ¨provinces¨ of the Anglican Communion simply misunderstood/misunderstand the proposed Anglican Covenant (or have been misled on purpose or are simply being used). The Covenant ultimately is being used as a political tool for personal power gain on the backs of the marginalized, the despised the outcasts at Church…one need not look further than CANA and ACNA (who has validated the ¨covenant¨ even though it is not in communion with Canterbury) to realize this fact.

Wade McClay
Wade McClay
12 years ago

I have been pondering whether adoption of the Covenant now means a Province is NO LONGER in Communion with Canterbury?

Father Ron Smith
12 years ago

re Wade’s question about whether a signatory to the Covenant process would now – because of the C. of E.’s rejection of the Covenant – be no longer in Communion with Canterbury; one supposes the answer may be that signatories would still be in communion with the ABC (as an ‘Instrument of the Communion”) but not necessarily with the C.of E. Strange!

Or, would the answer be that; signatories would be in the ‘First-tier’ – with the Archbishop of Canterbury – while the Church of England would be relegated to the ‘Second-tier? Even stranger!

Alan T Perry
12 years ago

I don’t see how Ireland can be counted as having adopted the Covenant. They were very clear in their debate that “subscribe” does not mean “adopt.”

Marshall Scott
12 years ago

I would note that in the terms of the Proposed Covenant itself, membership in the Communion is based on membership in the ACC, and not participation in the Covenant. Moreover, as I recall, communion with the Church of England is based on C of E actions, and not on the ACC (which is, after all, a relatively late structure). So, unless they themselves were to decide that communion with the Church of England and/or Canterbury was broken or “impaired,” they would remain officially in communion with both. I wonder what it might mean in our “two tiers” model (and as… Read more »

c.r.seitz
c.r.seitz
12 years ago

I doubt that we will not know the main verdict re: provincial Yea or Nay within a year’s time. I also doubt that the majority will say Nay, but perhaps the London meeting will give indication of what the majority of provinces are thinking and whether the covenant figures in their plans. Carroll has a good set of remarks on this matter.

Father Ron Smith
12 years ago

I doubt whether, in a year’s time, we will even remember what The covenant was all about. We still, thank God, have our universal Baptismal Covenant. I don’t suppose God minds who we bond with – just as long as we don’t become too exclusive.

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