The voting lists from the electronic votes at last week’s meeting of the Church of England General Synod are now available.
Voting results – Item 12 [Mission and Ministry in Covenant – relations with the Methodist Church]
Voting results – Item 16 [Valuing people with Down’s Syndrome]
Also available is the official summary of Business Done.
Today’s issue of Church Times carries their usual detailed Synod reports. Here is my personal selection; all eleven are linked from here.
General Synod: safeguarding presentation
General Synod: presentation and debate on Crown Nominations Commission
General Synod: debate on valuing people with Down’s syndrome
General Synod: presentation on Digital evangelism
Updated
Justin Welby became Archbishop of Canterbury five years ago this month. To mark the occasion Paul Handley, the editor of Church Times, has interviewed the archbishop: To bless and not to bless: Archbishop Welby in conversation.
Andrew Brown of The Guardian gives us his view: With piety and steel, Justin Welby has the church in his firmest grip. “The Archbishop of Canterbury has shaped the CofE to his will with a skill of a politician – and made it all the better.”
Update
There is an edited audio recording of the Church Times interview with the archbishop here.
0 CommentsAndrew Lightbown Theore0 Ash Wednesday and going bonkers
Jonathan Clatworthy Château Clâteau Abusive spiritual beliefs produce abusive acts
Duncan Dormor USPG Deepening our awareness of the Global Church: Companion Links and Prophetic mission
Church and youth: ‘If someone said come to church I would have laughed’
Madeleine Davies of Church Times visits St Laurence’s, Reading, where teenagers have found a family
Updated Saturday night, Sunday morning and Monday evening
Order papers
morning
afternoon [not available online]
Links to texts of the Safeguarding presentation at General Synod
Harry Farley Christian Today Church facing years of shame as extent of abuse emerges, bishop warns
Harriet Sherwood The Guardian C of E faced 3,300 sexual abuse claims, figures reveal
Tim Wyatt Church Times Safeguarding: we’re doing better, Synod tells sceptical survivors
Olivia Rudgard Telegraph Clergy still believe some complainants are ‘simply out for the money’, abuse expert tells church leaders
Olivia Rudgard Telegraph Informal communities for nuns and monks becoming more popular – with daily prayers over Skype
Official press release General Synod affirms dignity and humanity of people with Down’s Syndrome
[see below the fold for the text of the motion as passed by Synod]
Madeleine Davies Church Times ‘Every human being is made in the image of God’: Synod unanimously backs motion on Down’s syndrome
Olivia Rudgard Telegraph Rate of Down’s syndrome abortions in UK and Europe is akin to Nazi eugenics, Church of England’s General Synod hears
Press Association (in The Guardian) C of E backs motion valuing people with Down’s syndrome
summary of the day’s business from Stephen Lynas: It’s nine o’clock on a Saturday…
video recordings
morning session
afternoon session
David Walker ViaMedia.News Valuing People with Downs Syndrome – A Place to Start
Paul Child Rediscovering For The First Time The Special Child – A Candlemas Reflection
Miranda Threlfall-Holmes St Bride’s Liverpool Welcoming trans people – reaffirmation of baptism liturgy
Emma Percy Women and the Church #100 Women – #our time now
Andrew Graystone Church Times How to give bread, not stones
1 CommentUpdated Friday night, Saturday morning and afternoon
Order papers
morning
afternoon
Official press release General Synod backs motion to tackle food waste
Christian Today CofE backs campaign to reduce food waste
Anglican Communion News Service C of E Synod endorses Anglican Communion links as central to mission and discipleship
Read the Archbishop of Canterbury’s address to the General Synod in London today: Archbishop of Canterbury’s presidential address
Harry Farley Christian Today Archbishop warns Church of England against dangers of ‘radical change’
Olivia Rudgard Telegraph Church should not ‘throw the baby out with the bathwater’ by making radical changes, Archbishop says
Official press release General Synod welcomes move towards communion with Methodist Church
Press release from the Methodist Church Church of England and Methodist Church to continue exploring closer communion
Tim Wyatt Church Times Synod shows its enthusiasm for closer unity with Methodists
Harry Farley Christian Today Church of England embraces unity with Methodist Church
Ruth Gledhill The Tablet Church of England and Methodists move towards unity
Diocese of Guildford Synod affirms Anglican Communion links in run-up to Lambeth 2020
summary of the day’s business from Stephen Lynas: Move in a little closer, baby
video recordings
morning session
afternoon session
Updated Friday morning and afternoon
Press reports on Thursday’s business
Tim Wyatt Church Times Choose bishops more openly, Synod members urge
Harry Farley Christian Today Entrenched opposition to women priests blocks Church’s diversity efforts, synod told
Anglican Communion News Service Justin Welby calls for greater Anglican Communion say in selection of successor
Harriet Sherwood The Guardian C of E raises serious concerns about Christian Freemasons
Update
Stephen Lynas reviews what happened on Thursday The leader(s) of the pack
Archbishop of York General Synod Speech: “Discerning in Obedience: A Theological Review of the Crown Nominations Commission”
video recording of Thursday’s business
40 CommentsThe Church of England General Synod opens this afternoon. There are links to the agenda and papers here.
The Questions Notice Paper (with answers) is now available. Synod members will have the opportunity to ask supplementary questions later today.
There is an error in Questions 16 and 17; the correct text is in Notice Paper 7. There is also an error in Question 44, corrected in Notice Paper 10.
Stephen Lynas (a Synod member from Bath and Wells) previews the business: Oh, won’t you stay (just a little bit longer)?
A live video link is available here.
3 CommentsJude Smith Christian Today A radical proposal for the CofE’s Westminster headquarters: move out and do some good
Archdruid Eileen Beaker Folk of Husborne Crawley A House (of Bishops) in the Country
David Ison ViaMedia.News Rolling With the Punch(line)
Andrew Lightbown Theore0 Speaking of language; spiritual abuse and prayerful consideration
2 CommentsUpdated Thursday
For earlier articles about the Church of England’s relationship with the Methodist Church of Great Britain and the Mission and Ministry in Covenant report see here [last two items] and here.
Four posts from the Quodcumque blog about the report.
Richard Peers A Generous Catholicism and Beautiful Anomalies
Philip Murray Generous Catholicism: a reply to Fr Richard Peers
Andrew Davison Guest post from Andrew Davison on #MMIC: Being a 1662 Anglican
Richard Peers #MMIC – thoughts
Diarmaid MacCulloch Christian Today Why Anglicans who object to reconciliation with Methodists should read more history
Jonathan Draper Afterthoughts Anglicans, Methodists and the sticking plaster of unity
Paul Bayes Thinking a moment Mission and Ministry in Covenant
[a new blog from the Bishop of Liverpool]
Ian Paul Psephizo The Church of England and closer union with Methodists
Update
Marcus Walker Archbishop Cranmer The Church of England should welcome Methodists into the fold of the historic episcopacy
6 CommentsAnna Norman-Walker ViaMedia.News “Spiritual Abuse” – A Pandora’s Box?
Mary Cole Psephizo Valuing people with Down’s Syndrome: a parent’s response
Colin Coward Unadulterated Love Active citizenship in the Church of England
Michael Sadgrove Woolgathering in North East England The Report on Cathedrals: Further Thoughts
Miranda Threlfall-Holmes Disentangling Christianity and Patriarchy
Jayne Ozanne ViaMedia.News Neighbours – Can’t We Just “Walk By” Sometimes (please)?
Two opposing views on the same topic in Church Times:
Steven Croft C of E must make first move across the divide
Andrew Davison An intolerable departure from order
Press release from Number 10
Dean of Liverpool nominated: 31 January 2018
The Queen has approved the nomination of the Reverend Canon Susan Helen Jones as Dean of Liverpool.
Published 31 January 2018
From: Prime Minister’s Office, 10 Downing Street
The Queen has approved the nomination of the Reverend Canon Susan Helen Jones, BEd, MPhil, PhD, Residentiary Canon at Derby Cathedral and Director of Mission and Ministry in the Diocese of Derby, to be appointed to the Deanery of the Cathedral Church of Christ, Liverpool, on the elevation of the Very Reverend Peter Jonathan Wilcox, MA, DPhil as Bishop of Sheffield on 23 September 2017.
Announcement from Liverpool Cathedral
5 CommentsBosco Peters Liturgy Lex Photographi, Lex Orandi
Andrew Lightbown Theore0 Speaking of governance, speaking of leadership
Simon Reader Church Times Welcoming, not screening out
The Synod debate on the Down’s test could send a powerful message
Colin Coward Unadulterated Love Fr Bill Kirkpatrick RIP
5 CommentsWe noted last week’s release of the draft report by the Church of England’s Cathedrals Working Group here.
General Synod members have been sent a copy of the draft report (GS Misc 1177) today; it includes a covering letter from the chair and vice-chair of the group
Here are some media reports and comment articles that have appeared since the report was released.
media reports
Madeleine Davies Church Times Praise and warnings in cathedrals review
“SERIOUS governance mistakes” have been made at cathedrals, and legislative change is needed to correct “inadequacies” in their regulation, are the conclusions of a review commissioned in the wake of a cash-flow crisis at Peterborough. It also says that many cathedrals are struggling financially…
Harriet Sherwood The Guardian England’s cathedrals face financial crisis as running costs soar
Inquiry criticises management of some Anglican buildings and urges CoE to ask for state funds
Anglican Communion News Service Review proposes law change to improve governance of English Cathedrals
For a list of the report’s principal recommendations read Frank Cranmer Law & Religion UK Governance of Church of England cathedrals: the draft report
comment
Miachael Sadgrove Woolgathering in North East England A New Report on Cathedrals
Stephen Cherry Another Angle How to run a Cathedral
Adrian Newman Church Times How to make cathedrals fitter for the future
If they are to flourish in the long term, they need changes in management and governance
Church Times Letters to the editor from John Searle, Richard Austen-Baker and Richard Lewis {scroll down]
0 CommentsRichard Rohr Center for Action and Contemplation At-One-Ment, Not Atonement
Bosco Peters Liturgy Divorcees & Committed Same-Sex Couples part 1
John Gillibrand Ekklesia Anglicanism – the road ahead of us
James Woodward ViaMedia.News Refining and Owning our Anger…
1 CommentWe noted here more criticism of response to Carlile report, including a letter from seven academic historians criticising the Archbishop of Canterbury’s comments in response to the Carlile report. The Archbishop has now released this statement in reply.
Statement from Archbishop of Canterbury following letter from historians regarding the Bishop George Bell case
Monday 22nd January 2018
Archbishop Justin Welby said today:
Following a letter sent to Lambeth Palace and also to the Telegraphnewspaper by a group of academics, I felt it important to send a considered, personal response and this statement reflects the essence of my reply.
“I cannot with integrity rescind my statement made after the publication of Lord Carlile’s review into how the Church handled the Bishop Bell case. I affirmed the extraordinary courage and achievement of Bishop Bell both before the war and during its course, while noting the Church has a duty to take seriously the allegation made against him.
“Our history over the last 70 years has revealed that the Church covered up, ignored or denied the reality of abuse on major occasions. I need only refer to the issues relating to Peter Ball to show an example. As a result, the Church is rightly facing intense and concentrated scrutiny (focussed in part on the Diocese of Chichester) through the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA). Our first hearing is in March.
“The Diocese of Chichester was given legal advice to make a settlement based on the civil standard of proof, the balance of probability. It was not alleged that Bishop Bell was found to have abused on the criminal standard of proof, beyond reasonable doubt. The two standards should not be confused. It should be remembered that Carol, who brought the allegation, was sent away in 1995, and we have since apologised for this lamentable failure; a failure highlighted by Lord Carlile.
“I wrote my response with the support of both Bishop Peter Hancock, the lead bishop for safeguarding, and Bishop Martin Warner, the Bishop of Chichester. We are clear that we accept all but part of one of the recommendations Lord Carlile makes and we are extremely grateful to him for what he has done and the help he has given the Church.
“He indicates that in his judgement, a better way to have handled the allegation would have been for the Church to offer money on condition of confidentiality. We disagree with this suggestion. The confidentiality would have been exposed through the IICSA process, and the first question we would have faced, both about Bishop Bell and more widely, would have been ‘so what else are you concealing?’. The letter from the historiansdoes not take into account any of these realities, nor the past failures of the Church. But we will go on considering how we can make our processes better and more robust, as pointed out by Lord Carlile.
“As in the case of Peter Ball, and others, it is often suggested that what is being alleged could not have been true, because the person writing knew the alleged abuser and is absolutely certain that it was impossible for them to have done what is alleged. As with Peter Ball this sometimes turns out to be untrue, not through their own fault or deceit, but because abuse is often kept very secret. The experience of discovering feet of clay in more than one person I held in profound respect has been personally tragic. But as I said strongly in my original statement, the complaint about Bishop Bell does not diminish the importance of his great achievements and he is one of the great Anglican heroes of the 20th Century.”
9 CommentsAndrew Lightbown Theore0 Can the C of E learn a lesson or two from Tim Farron
Speaking of inclusivity and disagreement
David Walker Via Media.News A Changing View From Across the Pond…
Three related Church Times articles
Why I left church in my teens – A poll of parents has suggested that 14 is the average age when their children stopped going to church. Five people reflect on why they left as teenagers
Becca Dean It’s time to start listening – The insights of the young and frustration that they voice are gifts to be received
Hannah Barr What I wish the Church knew about young people – It’s hard to be a young person. What each needs to be shown is grace
Clifford Longley The Tablet Is it time for the bishops to make a ‘bonfire of their vanities’?
1 CommentUpdated Saturday night
Like the official press release, press reports on the agenda for next month’s meeting of the Church of England General Synod concentrate on one item.
Olivia Rudgard The Telegraph Church of England set to lobby Government over rising Down’s Syndrome abortions
Harriet Sherwood The Guardian Down’s syndrome test could see condition disappear, C of E warns
Madeleine Davies Church Times C of E report seeks neutral approach to new Down’s test
More heavyweights wanted on the Bishops’ bench
Harry Farley Christian Today CofE to consider call for women pregnant with Down’s syndrome babies to get ‘unbiased’ information
Church of England braced for ‘controversial’ next step in ending 200-year split with Methodists
Cara Bentley Premier Valuing people with Down’s Syndrome on Church of England’s General Synod agenda
Anglican Communion News Service Anglican Communion primates invited to Church of England’s General Synod
Update
Olivia Rudgard The Telegraph Church of England braced for ‘controversial’ vote on using Methodist ministers
3 CommentsThe Church of England has issued the press release below about papers for next month’s meeting of General Synod.
See my previous article for my list of papers.
General Synod papers released
19/01/2018
People with Down’s Syndrome should be welcomed, celebrated and treated with dignity and respect, members of the Church of England’s General Synod will hear next month.
A motion affirming the dignity and humanity of people born with Down’s Syndrome is to be discussed by the General Synod at its February sessions in London. It comes as a new form of prenatal screening, Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT), is set to be rolled out in the NHS to women deemed to be at ‘high-risk’ of having a child with Down’s syndrome.
The motion welcomes medical advances and calls for the Government and health professionals to ensure that women who have been told that their unborn child has Down’s Syndrome are given comprehensive, unbiased information on the condition.
A background paper, Valuing People with Down’s Syndrome, produced by the Church of England’s Mission and Public Affairs Council is among documents released today.
With the UK throwing away £13bn of food every year food waste is another social issue to be debated by the General Synod.
Other subjects on the agenda include a presentation on safeguarding, the development of new monastic communities, and proposals for bringing the Church of England and the Methodist Church into communion with one another and enabling interchangeability of ministries.
For the first time, the General Synod will welcome a group of representatives from other Anglican Communion provinces.
Archbishop Moon Hing of South East Asia, Archbishop Humphrey of Pakistan, Archbishop Thabo, from South Africa and Archbishop Winston Halapua, Bishop of Polynesia and Primate (Archbishop of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia) will attend the February sessions.
The General Synod will meet at Church House Westminster from Thursday February 8 to Saturday February 10.
A full set of papers from the first circulation is available on the Church of England website.
5 CommentsUpdate – the second batch of papers has been released today (26 january) and links added below.
The first batch of papers for next month’s meeting of the Church of England’s General Synod are now available online. The remaining papers will be issued on 26 January and I will add links when these become available.
Papers in numerical order with a note of the day scheduled for their consideration are listed below the fold.
Synod meets from Thursday 8 to Saturday 10 February 2018.