...the Anglican Covenant, that is. The synod of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich Diocese in the Church of England voted to reject adoption of the covenant.
From Lesley's Blog:
The synod met on Saturday the 5th and the motion was rejected.I agree. The vote to reject the covenant is fabulous news.
That makes the number of Dioceses in the Church of England split evenly:
Lichfield and Durham have voted for the Covenant.
Wakefield and Edmundsbury & Ipswich have voted Against.
This is fabulous news. I heard one Church of England bishop say recently that although he had reservations about the Covenant, he couldn’t speak against it because he had sworn an oath of obedience to Rowan Williams. It really does need to be the lay people and the clergy who stop this mad document. Well done Bishop Peter Selby, and well done to the members of Eds&Ips synod.
About this:
I heard one Church of England bishop say recently that although he had reservations about the Covenant, he couldn’t speak against it because he had sworn an oath of obedience to Rowan Williams.????!!!
Bishop of Buckingham, Alan Wilson, in the comments to Lesley's post:
As a bishop who has taken an oath of canonical obedience in all things lawful and honest, I have to say I think it’s bizarre to think this commits me to blind obedience to any notion the Archibishop (sic) may adopt. I think it is a higher and more positive form of obedience to be more honest, and had some of my colleagues had the spine to advise him earlier about their real feelings about some of the drawbacks in this particular scheme it would have been an act of loyalty, not disloyalty. In none of my dealings with him (which are not amazingly extensive) have I ever seen anything that implies he would want anything less than honest critical friendship.And we all say, 'Amen!'. Of course, as former colonials, what we say may not count. Still, I commend Bishop Alan, and I only wish a greater number of bishops in the Church of England had his courage.
Picture from Wikipedia.
