Friday, May 29, 2009

Anglican Covenant Section Four Working Group members announced by the Archbishop of Canterbury and Anglican Secretary General

The Anglican Covenant has been sent to provinces all ready, apparently, "seeking their comments on Section 4 of the Covenant." The deadline to hear back from the provinces is November 13, with this new Working Group planning to meet Nov. 20-121. It is then expected that the Working Group will report to the Joint Standing Committee (now being called just the "Standing Committee") at it's Dec. 15-18 meeting. Then what? Head to the pub and sing rousing choruses of the Unicorn Song? From here:

The text of the Ridley Cambridge Draft of the Covenant received strong support at the recent ACC meeting in Jamaica. However concern was expressed that Section 4 had not received the same degree of Provincial consideration that Sections 1-3 had. ACC-14 proposed that Provinces be given time to consider Section 4, that a small Working Group be set up to consider adjustment to Section 4 of the text in the light of Provincial responses, and to ask that Group to report to the Standing Committee before the end of the year.

The Archbishop of Canterbury and the Secretary General have now announced the names of the Working Group. They are:

  • The Most Revd Dr John Neill, Archbishop of Dublin (Chair);
  • The Most Revd Dr John Chew, Primate of South East Asia;
  • Dr Eileen Scully, Anglican Church of Canada;
  • The Rt Revd Dr Gregory Cameron, Bishop of St Asaph in the Church in Wales and former Deputy Secretary General of the Anglican Communion.

All have been involved in the Covenant Process to date. Staff support will be provided by Neil Vigers (Anglican Communion Office) and the Revd Canon Joanna Udal (Archbishop of Canterbury’s Secretary for Anglican Communion Affairs).

Meanwhile the Ridley Cambridge Draft text of the Covenant has been sent to Provinces seeking their comments on Section 4 of the Covenant. Responses are requested by 13th November this year. The Working Group will meet on 20 - 21 November in London and report to the Standing Committee meeting of 15 - 18 December.

Oh why wait.

1 comment:

Daniel Weir said...

I assume "Why wait?" is a plea for the adoption of the Covenant with the fourth section. The answer is simple: the members of the Anglican Consultative Council decided that the fourth section need revising before being commended to the member Churches of the Communion. I see no reason to be in a rush to adopt - or reject - the Covenant and am pleased that the fourth section will be revised before the Covenant is sent on for consideration by the Churches.