wfn.org | Episcopalians: Anglican Consultative Council affirms resolution stressing interdependence

[dmack@episcopalchurch.org]

September 26, 2002

2002-220

Episcopalians: Anglican Consultative Council affirms 
resolution stressing interdependence

by Margaret Rodgers

(ENS) Members of the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC), 
meeting in Hong Kong September 15-26, strongly affirmed the 
resolution moved by Archbishop of Canterbury George L. Carey 
calling for individual dioceses in the Anglican Communion not to 
take unilateral action or adopt policies that would strain "our 
communion with one another." The resolution also urged all 
dioceses to keep in mind "the impact of their decisions within 
the wider Communion."

In his Presidential Address to the Anglican Consultative 
Council some days earlier, Carey  drew attention to the decision 
in the Diocese of New Westminster, in the Anglican Church of 
Canada, calling for a liturgical rite to bless same-sex unions; 
actions taken by the Bishop of Pennsylvania in the Episcopal 
Church USA to depose a traditionalist rector; and the call for 
lay presidency at the Eucharist in the Diocese of Sydney, 
Australia.

When the vote on the resolution was taken, all hands were 
raised in favor, apart from one abstaining vote from Bishop 
Catherine Roskam, suffragan bishop of Diocese of New York. 

The Rev. Don Bolen, official Vatican observer at the ACC 
meeting said that " the Catholic Church smiles on this 
resolution." He pointed out that local decisions and policies by 
individual dioceses can have ecumenical implications and that 
some local decisions can weaken the koinonia (communion) among 
the respective churches. Though he indicated Roman Catholic 
support for Carey's motion, he stated that it still fell far 
short of "ecumenical consultation."

Bishop Michael Ingham of New Westminster gave his support to 
the motion and voted for it while indicating that he was 
concerned that the resolution did not appear to recognize the 
autonomy of the local church to determine priorities for mission 
in the local context. He cited a statement by the third ACC 
meeting in Dublin that declared that "the responsibility for 
mission in any place belongs primarily to the church in that 
place." 

He told members that the English Reformation itself was "an 
example of local option." And he said that "it is important to 
balance the need for coherence and credibility with freedom for 
change--and change always begins locally." Ingham also said that 
he had consulted the provincial authorities in his part of the 
Anglican Church in Canada.

In response to the speeches, Carey thanked the Vatican 
observer for his supporting comments on the motion and also 
expressed his thanks to Ingham. "Theologically I disagree with 
the word autonomy'," Carey said. "Autonomy means separate 
churches. Here I am closer to Fr Bolen than I am to Bishop 
Michael." He said that the ACC meeting	"has been all about 
interdependence."

Carey said that Ingham did not consult widely about the 
issue--not consulting the Primates' Meeting, the ACC, or the 
Archbishop of Canterbury, the central planks of Anglican unity'.

------

The complete text of the resolution:

32. Superior Synods

This Council, being concerned about a range of matters of faith 
and order which have arisen since we last met, and having in 
mind the constant emphasis on mutual responsibility and 
interdependence in the resolutions of successive Lambeth 
Conferences, from the call in 1867 for "unity in faith and 
disciplineby due and canonical subordination of synods" (1867, 
IV) to the call in 1998 for a "common mind concerning ethical 
issues where contention threatens to divide" (1998, IV 5 ( c ) 
) calls upon:

1.  Dioceses and individual bishops not to undertake unilateral 
actions or adopt policies which would strain our communion with 
one another without reference to their provincial authorities, 
and

2.  Provincial authorities to have in mind the impact of their 
decisions within the wider Communion, and

3.  All members of the Communion, even in our disagreements to 
have in mind the "need for courtesy, tolerance, mutual respect 
and prayer for one another" (1998, III.2 (e)).

--Margaret Rodgers of Anglican Media in Australia is a member of 
the news team at the ACC meeting.