update Thursday morning and afternoon
The Bishop of Carlisle, the Rt Revd Graham Dow, spoke at the launch today of God, Gays and the Church. He may regret what he said.
Ruth Gledhill in her Times blog Graham Dow: UK Government a ‘Revelation 13’ Govt
Ruth Gledhill in the Times Bishop sees demons in Downing Street
Jonathan Petre in the Telegraph Brown Government ‘like a demonic beast’
BBC
Government like ‘demonic beast’
Updated Wednesday night, Thursday morning and Friday morning
Official Reports: General Synod – Summary of Business Conducted on Wednesday 13th February 2008 AM
General Synod – Summary of Business Conducted on Wednesday 13th February 2008 PM
These include links to audio recordings of all the items.
Archbishop of Canterbury
contribution to the debate on a Covenant for the Anglican Communion
Church Times
Day three: Wednesday
Synod expresses its grave concern about gambling
Episcopal Life Online
ENGLAND: Synod discusses Anglican covenant; debate draws mixed reactions
Christian Today
Anglican Covenant will unite, not divide – Sentamu by Maria Mackay
Church Society
General Synod Report 13 February 2008
In the afternoon Synod debated eucharistic prayers for children and mental health issues and passed these two motions.
That this Synod request the House of Bishops to commission the expeditious preparation of Eucharistic Prayers suitable for use on occasions when a significant number of children are present or when it is otherwise pastorally appropriate to meet the needs of children present.
That this Synod:
a) affirm the vital necessity of improving services, in hospitals and in the community, for the support, care and treatment of people with mental health problems;
b) welcome the acceptance by Her Majesty’s Government during the passage of the Mental Health Act 2007 of amendments to protect the liberty and interests of those subject to compulsory detention and treatment for mental disorder, and express the hope that the operation of the Act will be carefully monitored;
c) note with concern the rising incidence of mental distress among young people;
d) call attention to the acute needs of people with mental disorders in the criminal justice system and request effective measures to divert them, where appropriate, from prison; and
e) welcome the recognition within mental health services of the significance of spirituality for assessment and treatment, and encourage parishes to ensure that the support and care of people with mental health problems, their carers and NHS staff is a key priority for the Church’s ministry.
The day ended with a general debate on the Anglican Communion Covenant and a vote on the motion ‘That the Synod do take note of this report.’ [where ‘this report’ was this]. The take note motion was carried by 266 votes to 20 with 19 recorded abstentions.
2 Commentsupdated Wednesday morning, Thursday morning and afternoon and Friday morning
Official reports: General Synod – Summary of Business Conducted on Tuesday 12th February 2008 AM.
General Synod – Summary of Business Conducted on Tuesday 12th February 2008 PM
These include links to audio recordings of most of the items.
Church Times
Day two: Tuesday
Terms of service: Synod votes down moving parsonages to dioceses
The Times
Church ‘land grab’ thrown out by synod by Ruth Gledhill
Synod rejects proposals for £4bn vicarage ‘land grab’ by Ruth Gledhill (basically same story as the one above)
Clean up your ‘human pollution’, Archbishop of Canterbury tells gambling trade by Ruth Gledhill
Guardian
Synod calls on minister to scrap planned casinos by Riazat Butt
Telegraph
Church vows to tackle Bible shortage by Jonathan Petre
BBC
Synod rejects vicarage owner plan
Daily Mail
Church tells Brown to ditch plans for Las Vegas style super-casinos
Christian Today
Archbishop of Canterbury slams casinos in Synod debate by Maria Mackay
Church Society
General Synod Report 12 February 2008
Tuesday’s main business was consideration of the clergy terms of service legislation which came back from the revision committee. This is the legislation to introduce common tenure, a uniform set of conditions for all clergy. Synod appeared to have little problem with the general principle, but the proposal to transfer ownership of much clergy housing to new diocesan parsonage boards was strongly opposed and was effectively killed by one amendment. This was carried in each of the three houses of synod by the following votes.
|
for
|
against
|
abstained*
|
|
| bishops |
14
|
9
|
5
|
| clergy |
100
|
57
|
4
|
| laity |
84
|
79
|
4
|
Following this vote the committee responsible for steering the legislation through synod withdrew all the clauses about the ownership of clergy housing and as a result there will be no changes to the current arrangements.
Later Synod debated gambling and casinos and passed the following motion by 258 votes to 4 with 9 recorded abstentions.
That this Synod, gravely concerned that the total national spend on gaming has risen in each year over the past four years from £4 to £40 billion:
a) endorse the public opposition expressed by church leaders to the introduction of regional and large casinos, and encourage local churches to participate in local authority consultations on plans for new casino applications;
b) declare its support for programmes of education, research and treatment undertaken with the aim of checking the growth in problem gambling, and request the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport to invoke the powers granted by the Gambling Act 2005 to introduce a statutory levy on the gambling industry to fund such programmes;
c) call upon Her Majesty’s Government to monitor the addictive effects of Fixed Odds Betting Terminals and to seek an international framework for a code of conduct on internet gambling; and
d) call upon the Mission and Public Affairs Council to report back to Synod by February 2009 on measures being taken by the churches to combat the detrimental effects of gambling in various forms.
The final item of business was a debate on the availability of bibles in churches at the end of which the following motion was carried overwhelmingly.
That this Synod, believing in the importance of Scripture, desire that anyone entering a church building or attending a church service should have easy and unfettered access one of the versions of the Bible referred to in the note by the House of Bishops on Versions of Scripture dated 9th October 2002 or one of the versions of the Bible that may be used by virtue of the Prayer Book Versions of the Bible Measure, and would request all dioceses to take steps to give effect to this desire in their churches.
* Synod has introduced electronic voting and this allows members to record an abstention as well as a vote in favour or against.
14 CommentsThe Archbishop of Canterbury has announced the formation of the Windsor Continuation Group (WCG), as proposed in his Advent Letter. The WCG will address outstanding questions arising from the Windsor Report and the various formal responses from provinces and instruments of the Anglican Communion.
Details on the Anglican Communion News Service.
8 CommentsUpdated Tuesday morning, Thursday morning and Friday morning
Official report : General Synod – Summary of Business Conducted on Monday 11th February 2008 PM
This includes links to audio recordings of all the items.
Church Times
Day one: Monday
Synod welcomes Dr Williams’s robust defence
Press Association Williams defends sharia law debate
Reuters Williams defends right to raise Islamic law
BBC
Williams in synod Sharia address
Archbishop guilty of innocence by Alex Kirby
PM extends support to archbishop by Laura Kuenssberg
Guardian
Archbishop defends his comments on Sharia law Riazat Butt Paper version: Archbishop defends sharia law remarks but admits his words may have lacked clarity
A very Anglican resurrection by Andrew Brown
Williams, sharia and a mea culpa … of sorts by Stephen Bates
In an age of red-top fury, here is a hero by Giles Fraser
Guardian leader: Wounded and wiser
The Times
Synod backs Archbishop in Sharia controversy by Philippe Naughton and Ruth Gledhill headline now changed to ‘Sorry for any confusion but it is my right and duty to talk about religion and the law’
St Rowan seeks forgiveness for the sin of ‘unclarity’ by Alan Hamilton
Daily Telegraph
Archbishop won’t back down over sharia row by Jonathan Petre
Dr Rowan Williams may suffer lasting damage by Jonathan Petre
Synod fails to cast first stone at Archbishop by Andrew Gimson
Dr Rowan Williams’s gift to Gordon Brown by Rachel Sylvester
Telegraph leader: Dr Rowan Williams’s words were understood
Daily Mail
‘I was right to speak out on sharia law,’ says Archbishop by Steven Doughty
He stood there, hands clasped in front of him, the beard moving roughly in sync with his lips by Quentin Letts
Independent
Williams tries to defuse row over sharia law but refuses to apologise by Jonathan Brown
Clumsy maybe, but not sorry by Paul Vallely
Episcopal News Service
Canterbury defends Sharia comments in General Synod address by Matthew Davies
Church Society
General Synod Report 11 February 2008
The full text of what Rowan Williams said can be found here.
This was preceded by a standing ovation from the members of the synod.
Complete audio recording of this address available here.
49 CommentsRiazat Butt in the Guardian has Archbishop tears up script to face critics
And also, Ayesha Khan on Sharia sensibilities
Jonathan Petre in the Daily Telegraph has Synod turns on Rowan Williams in sharia row
And also, here is what Lord Carey said yesterday in the Sunday Telegraph Are we promoting harmony or Muslim ghettos?. Today, Janet Daley has Removing the state from Dr Rowan Williams
Andrew Grice in the Independent says Williams resists calls to resign over sharia row
And Johann Hari has Rowan Williams has shown us one thing – why multiculturalism must be abandoned
See previous TA article for reports in The Times.
The BBC has Williams to face Anglican leaders and also Sharia row persists for Williams and Carey weighs into Sharia law row and later, PM praises archbishop’s integrity
The Press Association has Archbishop ready to defend himself
Reuters says Williams to speak out after storm
Here’s the timetable for today’s General Synod session:
3.15 p.m. to 7 p.m.
1. INTRODUCTIONS
2. PROGRESS OF MEASURES AND STATUTORY INSTRUMENTS
3. PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS
4 and 5. REPORT BY THE BUSINESS COMMITTEE (GS 1676)
6. FORTY-SECOND REPORT OF THE STANDING ORDERS COMMITTEE (GS 1677)
7. QUESTIONS
And the BBC has this helpful Q&A: The General Synod explained
10 CommentsTomorrow in The Times Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correpondent, and Philip Webster, Political Editor report that: Archbishop faces critics on his day of judgment:
An embattled Archbishop of Canterbury will confront anger within the Church of England as, on this most critical day of his five years in office, he tries to justify his remarks about Islamic law.
Dr Rowan Williams will open the General Synod in Central London this afternoon with a presidential address in which he will show that he can weather the storm over his recent remarks. He will attempt to set the record straight, insisting that he never advocated a “parallel jurisdiction” of Sharia.
The Archbishop, whose liberal stance has provoked fury among evangelicals, will face further pressure when a senior bishop launches a renewed attack on the Church’s approach to homosexuality.
The Right Rev Michael Scott-Joynt, the Bishop of Winchester and fifth most senior clergyman in the hierarchy, will give warning that the Church’s integrity has been “gravely undermined” by its implicit acceptance of same-sex relationships.
The issue of homosexuality and the Church is due to be debated by Synod when the Covenant, a new agreement on doctrine supported by Dr Williams, is examined on Wednesday.
In a forward to God, Gays and the Church, a book to be published this week and seen by The Times, Bishop Scott-Joynt attacks what he calls the “public advocating and vaunting of behaviour contrary to the teaching of the Church of England” at last year’s Synod, which was presided over by Dr Williams…
For more background to this book, see Anglican Mainstream’s announcement: God, Gays and the Church and also the announcement by The Latimer Trust God, Gays & the Church: Human Sexuality in Christian Thinking
Also the same journalists have this: Row over gay clergy threatens to divide a Synod still reeling over Sharia furore:
…In a new book, God, Gays and the Church, the Bishop of Winchester, the Right Rev Michael Scott-Joynt, attacks the acceptance of “alternative, revisionist teaching” on the issue of homosexuality.
Bishop Scott-Joynt, referring to a debate on sexuality at the synod last February, claims that there was a “public advocating and vaunting of behaviour contrary to the teaching of the Church of England”. Several priests in that debate spoke openly of the joy and fulfilment they get from being in openly gay relationships, even though official church discipline demands that gay clergy be celibate.
Bishop Scott-Joynt condemns the fact that personal experience appears to be given the same weight as Scripture, tradition and the Church in the debate over homosexuality…
And Ruth Gledhill has this comment piece: The intellectual arrogance that pervades the heart of Lambeth Palace wisdom:
…Dr Williams was advised before his speech on Thursday evening that the content could prove controversial. He heeded the warnings but went ahead anyway. He was “taken aback” by just how controversial it then proved but remains “chirpy” and unrepentant about his comments because he believes that they needed to be made.
Although he is a holy and spiritual man, danger lies in the appearance of the kind of intellectual arrogance common to many of Britain’s liberal elite. It is an arrogance that affords no credibility or respect to the popular voice. And although this arrogance, with the assumed superiority of the Oxbridge rationalist, is not shared by his staff at Lambeth Palace, it is by some of those outside Lambeth from whom he regularly seeks counsel…
Read the whole article for more on the Lambeth Palace scene.
31 CommentsUpdated
As a change from the secular media reports, here is what Ekklesia has published:
8 Feb Archbishop under fire over Sharia law lecture and interview
9 Feb Church of England head seeks a multi-faith settlement for the UK
10 Feb What lies beyond Lambeth’s Sharia humiliation?
And see also Real problem, wrong solution
10 Feb Catholics say their marriage tribunals do not seek civil law enforcement
And see also on Comment is free A multi-faith muddle
16 CommentsSharia-free zone
Giles Fraser wrote in the G2 section of the Guardian about his recent American travels, God moves to the left.
And he also wrote in the Church Times about Lambeth: a conference of shame.
Christopher Howse wrote in the Daily Telegraph about Dog-collars on the footplate. (Note to American readers: “footplate” is explained here.)
John Wilkins writes in The Times that Divine justice is perfect and tempered with mercy.
Alec Gilmore writes in the Guardian’s Face to Faith column about the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
18 CommentsBBC
Archbishop defends Sharia remarks
Williams ‘shocked’ at Sharia row
Puzzled voices among Bradford’s Muslims
Guardian
Will Woodward and Riazat Butt Williams defiant over Islamic law speech
Clare Dyer Jewish Beth Din could be archbishop’s model
Riazat Butt Forget the beheadings, and think of settling marital disputes
Andrew Brown Misjudgment that made martyrs of others
Madeleine Bunting A noble, reckless rebellion
Guardian leader: The simplicity complex
Daily Telegraph
Jonathan Petre Rowan Williams faces calls to resign and Church members call on Archbishop to resign
Charles Moore Archbishop, with sharia it’s all or nothing
Simon Heffer Sharia courts? Get off your knees, archbishop
The Times
Ruth Gledhill Archbishop faces calls to quit over Sharia row
Frances Gibb Was Archbishop’s obscure phrasing and bad timing to blame for uproar? Don’t miss this one, well worth reading
Matthew Parris Williams is dangerous. He must be resisted
Times leader: A Devalued Faith
Independent
Colin Brown and Jerome Taylor Church moves to the defence of Archbishop
Deborah Orr Don’t be fooled… the archbishop wants to beat extremists at their own game
Yasmin Alibhai-Brown What he wishes on us is an abomination
Independent leader: The Archbishop has stepped into a political and intellectual minefield
The Bishop of St Albans wrote to his clergy and readers: Bishop of St Albans says Archbishop’s lecture raises major issue.
Justin Lewis-Anthony wrote The Archbishop and those who will not hear.
2 CommentsLambeth Palace has issued a statement headlined What did the Archbishop actually say?
13 CommentsFriday 08 February 2008
There has been a strong reaction in the media and elsewhere to the Archbishop of Canterbury’s remarks of yesterday on civil and religious law…
…The Archbishop made no proposals for sharia in either the lecture or the interview, and certainly did not call for its introduction as some kind of parallel jurisdiction to the civil law.
Instead, in the interview, rather than proposing a parallel system of law, he observed that “as a matter of fact certain provisions of sharia are already recognised in our society and under our law” . When the question was put to him that: “the application of sharia in certain circumstances – if we want to achieve this cohesion and take seriously peoples’ religion – seems unavoidable?”, he indicated his assent.
A selection of further material:
The Church Times which went to press before this story broke has now published a website article by Paul Handley Williams provokes row over sharia law.
James Behrens wrote Legal opinion on the Archbishop of Canterbury’s interview on Shariah Law.
Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali wrote English law and the Sharia (PDF).
Bishop Alan Wilson wrote Abdul the Bogeyman.
Frances Gibb Legal Editor of The Times reported Lawyers: Sharia can’t trump English law. Meanwhile Ruth Gledhill has Archbishop of Canterbury ‘should resign’ over Sharia row and there is Sharia in Britain: the reaction.
The BBC has Reaction in quotes: Sharia law row and also Q and A: Sharia law explained and The end of one law for all?
The Daily Telegraph has Bishop: Impossible to have sharia law in UK by Jonathan Petre, Andrew Porter and Gordon Rayner.
The Guardian has Laying down the law: ministers cool on archbishop’s sharia suggestion by Will Woodward and Riazat Butt.
9 CommentsUpdated Friday evening see Bindmans press release below
Here is the outcome of the Hereford tribunal case as reported by icWales:
Gay Christian wins £47k pay-out
A gay Christian who won a discrimination claim against the Church of England was awarded more than £47,000 in compensation today, the organisation backing him said.
John Reaney, a 42-year-old from North Wales, took the Hereford Diocesan Board of Finance to an employment tribunal after his appointment to the role of youth worker was blocked on the grounds of his sexuality by the Bishop of Hereford, the Rt Rev Anthony Priddis.
Stonewall, the gay equality organisation which funded the claim, said the Diocese of Hereford was today ordered to pay Mr Reaney £47,345.
A spokesman for Stonewall said this included £33,000 for loss of future earnings and £7,000 damages specifically awarded for “psychiatric injury”.
Mr Reaney said: “I’m delighted that this case is finally over. Lesbian and gay Christians working within the Church of England are entitled to be treated with humanity. I’m very grateful to Stonewall for supporting this case throughout.”
Stonewall chief executive Ben Summerskill said: “We’re delighted that the tribunal has sent such a robust signal, both to the bishop and other employers.
“The substantial level of compensation sends out a very clear message. Not even a bishop is above this law.”
According to Stonewall the Bishop’s costs are estimated to be a further £50,000.
Stonewall added that the tribunal had also said it expects the Bishop to undergo equal opportunities training…
Here is the full text of the press release from the Diocese of Hereford:
Diocese of Hereford & the Employment Tribunals Service
February 08th 2008
The Employment Tribunal has issued its final judgment in the case of the diocese of Hereford and Mr. John Reaney. “We are glad we can draw a line under this unhappy situation. It has been a difficult time for all of us involved in the tribunal,” said Anni Holden, spokeswoman for the Diocese of Hereford. “It has been a long drawn out process and we are pleased that it is finally complete.”
The ‘Remedy Hearing’ of the tribunal took place in December following its decision in July 2007. The Employment Tribunal has decided that the Diocese of Hereford is to pay £47,345 to Mr John Reaney. The legal costs of the case to the Diocese are being met by an anonymous donation.
“We are now aware that when making such an appointment we must make it clear if it is a genuine occupational requirement that the post-holder should believe in and uphold the Christian belief and ideal of marriage, and that sexual relationships are confined to marriage”, added Anni Holden. “This is the crux of the matter, not sexual orientation.”
According to this report from Hereford-based 24dash.com:
The total compensation ordered by the tribunal included £25,000 for future loss of wages, £8,000 for future pension loss, £7,000 damages for psychiatric injury, £6,000 for injury to feelings, £1,320 for counselling and £25 for costs incurred seeking work.
Other press coverage:
BBC Gay man wins £47k church payout
North Wales Daily Post Gay Christian wins £47,000 pay-out and later Church must pay out to gay Christian
The Sun Gay Christian’s £47k compo and later Rev’s £47k gay worker snub
Hereford Times Gay man wins Church payout
Daily Mail Gay Christian rejected for post by Bishop awarded almost £50,000 in damages
Daily Telegraph Bishop fined in gay discrimination case
The Times Bishop ordered to have equality training over gay discrimination
Guardian £47,000 for gay youth worker bishop rejected
Ekklesia Bishop faces equal opportunities training after discrimination award
There is a full press release from Bindmans titled Tribunal awards substantial compensation in landmark gay discrimination case against Church of England:
John Reaney wins over £50K compensation and interest
John Reaney v Hereford Diocesan Board of Finance
Cardiff Employment TribunalThe Employment Tribunal has just awarded John Reaney over £50,000 (including interest) as compensation for unlawful discrimination against him by the Diocese and the Bishop of Hereford.
Alison Downie, of Bindman & Partners, lawyer for John Reaney said today:
“The Employment Tribunal has just ordered the Diocese of Hereford to pay substantial damages, over £50,000 including interest, to my client as compensation for the unlawful gay discrimination against him by the Bishop and Diocese of Hereford…
Update added 15 Feb: the Stonewall press release is here: Tribunal orders Bishop of Hereford to pay £47,000 to gay youth worker.
22 CommentsPat Ashworth in the Church Times has Disputed parts of Anglican Covenant redrafted.
… Just 13 of the 34 Anglican provinces submitted a formal response to the first draft of the Anglican Covenant (the Nassau Draft), something that the Covenant Design Group (CDG) suggests might be attributed to “lack of translation” or indeed “other foci in the life of Provinces”…
Scroll down the Church Times article for a summary of the Appendix: Four routes for discipline:
18 CommentsTHE PROCESS for disciplining a Church is graded according to whether there is a threat to “the unity of the Communion or effectiveness or credibility of its mission” and how urgent this is.
Informal conversation is the first resort, Route 1. If that fails, the next step is to consult the Archbishop of Canterbury. He then has a month either to resolve the problem by issuing pastoral guidance, or to refer it to three Assessors of his choice. The Church that is getting the guidance has a month to respond. If the outcome is unsuccessful, it refers it to the Assessors. The Assessors have a month in which to choose one of four routes, depending on the perceived urgency of the dispute.
If a threat to unity is clearly involved and is considered to be a matter of real urgency, the Archbishop requests action by the Church involved. The Church has six months to consider: if it doesn’t respond after that time, it is considered to have rejected his request. The Church can appeal to the Joint Standing Committee (JSC) if it does not believe that it is threatening unity and mission. The JSC decides whether there is a threat. If the appeal is lost, the matter goes to the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC).
Route 2 comes into play if it is unclear whether there is a real threat to unity or not, but the matter is still considered urgent. If so, it can be referred by the Archbishop of Canterbury to another of the Instruments of Communion to decide whether there is a threat. The Instrument makes a request to the Church, and then the matter proceeds as with Route 1.
Route 3 takes a longer view. The Archbishop refers longer-term issues that “would benefit from rigorous theological study” to a commission for evaluation. He chooses the commission in consultation with the secretary general of the Anglican Communion. The commission studies it for 18 months, and then pass on its judgement to an Instrument of Communion. If rejected, it then goes to the ACC.
Route 4 provides mediation, if no threat to unity is perceived. This is a three-year process. The mediator has no decision-making authority, and cannot compel the parties to accept a settlement. The matter is declared closed after three years.
The ACC is the final arbiter over Routes 1, 2, and 3, and whether a Church’s action is compatible with the Covenant. “If the Council decides the rejection is incompatible, the Church can declare voluntarily that it relinquishes the force and meaning of the Covenant; or the Council decides it for them.”
If either declares relinquishment, the ACC must initiate “a process of restoration with the Church of the Communion and other Instruments of the Communion”.
The Church Times reports the story: Bishop Jones apologises for Reading-affair open letter.
The Guardian has a profile: Whether you think he’s gone too far or not far enough, he has made an honest, brave and thoughtful contribution by Riazat Butt.
10 CommentsGuardian
Riazat Butt Archbishop backs sharia law for British Muslims and later, Uproar as archbishop says sharia law inevitable in UK and
Will Woodward and Riazat Butt Laying down the law: ministers cool on archbishop’s sharia suggestion
Elizabeth Stewart Q&A: Sharia law
Andrew Brown Laws of the land
Guardian leader: Sharia and the state
The Times
Ruth Gledhill and Philip Webster Archbishop of Canterbury argues for Islamic law in Britain
Ruth Gledhill Has the Archbishop gone bonkers?
Daniel Finkelstein Why the Archbishop is wrong about Sharia
Ian Edge and Robin Griffiths-Jones Does Islam fit with our law?
Times leader: Church in a State
Daily Telegraph
Jonathan Petre Archbishop Williams sparks Sharia law row and later
Jonathan Petre, Religion Correspondent, and Andrew Porter, Political Editor Adopt sharia law in Britain, says the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams
Christopher Howse Sharia is no law for Britain
Gordon Rayner Dr Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury
Williams attacked over Sharia law comments
Daily Telegraph leader: Archbishop of Canterbury’s inept intervention
BBC
Archbishop sparks Sharia law row headline now changed to Sharia comments trigger criticism
Christopher Landau Sharia law and the British legal system
Nick Tarry Religious courts already in use
Independent
Ben Russell and Colin Brown Archbishop of Canterbury warns sharia law in Britain is inevitable
Paul Vallely Williams is snared in a trap of his own making
Press release from the MCU available here:
MCU opposes the Draft Covenant
The proposed Anglican Covenant (The St Andrew’s Draft) would only make the church more autocratic and outdated, says the Modern Churchpeople’s Union (MCU).
‘It takes the Anglican out of Anglicanism and there wouldn’t be much left’, says the MCU General Secretary, Jonathan Clatworthy. ‘Until now we have lived together respecting differences of opinion. This Covenant would mean every time there’s an objection someone will lay down the law’.
The wording of the Covenant itself is a clear improvement on previous drafts. But the sting is in the tail. An Appendix to the Draft Covenant sets out ways in which members of the Communion could be disciplined.
Members of the Anglican Communion would be asked to commit themselves to accept a ‘request’ from the Archbishop of Canterbury or the global Primate’s Meeting. If they refused the request they could ultimately be expelled from the Communion.
MCU objects to the Covenant because it would centralize decision-making and reduce the traditional autonomy of Anglican Provinces. Just one Anglican Province could object to developments elsewhere and so changes could only be made at the speed of the slowest. Churches would become increasingly out of date.
MCU believes that the threat of expulsion will impoverish Anglican church life. The short timescales envisaged are likely to stunt discussion and suppress the search for consensus. The character of the international ‘Instruments of Communion’ which currently bind the Communion together would be changed as they take on semi-judicial roles.
The practical result of the St Andrew’s Draft Covenant would be a much more centralized, authoritarian and unadventurous Communion. It is likely to magnify disputes and to turn them into judicial processes. It is likely to leave the Church less able to face the challenges of the modern world.
To read the Appendix mentioned above go here.
And for more material on the Covenant from MCU, go here.
31 CommentsUpdated: full text of lecture now available
The BBC reports:
The Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams says the adoption of Islamic Sharia law in the UK is “unavoidable”.
Dr Williams told BBC Radio 4’s World at One that the UK has to “face up to the fact” that some of its citizens do not relate to the British legal system.
Dr Williams argues that adopting some aspects of Sharia law would help maintain social cohesion.
For example, Muslims could choose to have marital disputes or financial matters dealt with in a Sharia court.
He says Muslims should not have to choose between “the stark alternatives of cultural loyalty or state loyalty”.
In an exclusive interview with BBC correspondent Christopher Landau, ahead of a lecture to lawyers in London later on Monday, Dr Williams argues this relies on Sharia law being better understood. At the moment, he says “sensational reporting of opinion polls” clouds the issue.
He stresses that “nobody in their right mind would want to see in this country the kind of inhumanity that’s sometimes been associated with the practice of the law in some Islamic states”.
His comments are likely to fuel the debate over multiculturalism in the UK…
Update
Here is the full transcript of the BBC radio interview. Listen to the radio interview here.
More information about the lecture can be found here and also here (PDF).
Update
The full text of the lecture is available here.
And here is the Lambeth Palace press release about the lecture.
52 Comments