THE Anglican Covenant will not be sent out to the provinces of the Communion for adoption until there has been consultation on the controversial section 4, the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) voted by the narrowest of majorities at its meeting in Jamaica this week. Sec tion 4 deals with the enforcement of the terms of the Covenant.
The chairman of the Covenant Design Group, the Most Revd Drexel Gomez, the recently-retired Arch bishop of the West Indies, had urged delegates not to lose the opportunity to take decisive action on the Covenant in what was considered to be its final form, the Ridley Draft (News, 8 May). He had predicted breaks in the Communion if it did not vote to send it out.
The outgoing deputy secretary general of the Communion, the Rt Revd Gregory Cameron, commented on Monday of the vote: “Many will feel that any delay in the adoption of the Covenant inflicts further damage on the Communion; others feel that to take matters deliberately and with consultation can only strengthen the process overall.
“I myself believe that the Ridley Covenant Draft is mature, and feel that delay will allow more radical groups to agitate for more precipitous change or realignment.”
The Archbishop of Canterbury urged Anglicans not to put off discussing the Covenant. He told the ACC: “The text is on the table. Begin the discernment, begin that intelligent engagement as soon as you can.”
The complicated debate taxed delegates to the full. It involved 18 amendments to the resolutions, and four personal interventions by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The Ridley draft had been discussed before the meeting by the Joint Standing Committee (JSC) of the ACC. The JSC had asked Dr Williams and the secretary general to develop a text for a resolution reflecting their discussions, which could be offered to discernment groups once the ACC was under way.
http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/content.asp?id=75123
No comments:
Post a Comment