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Friday, July 6, 2001
An unofficial digest of the proceedings of
the 36th General Synod of
the Anglican Church of Canada
_________________________________________
1. Motions
A motion accepting the orders of the day was carried.
The Most Rev. Michael Peers, Primate, declared General Synod open and welcomed delegates, saying "you are no longer delegates to Synod; you are members of Synod."A motion that the count of each ballot in the elections of prolocutor and deputy prolocutor be revealed and recorded in the minutes was carried.
2. Presentations
2A. Globalization and Eco-Justice
Mr. John Dillon of the Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiative, gave a presentation on globalization. He pointed out that "globalization is not only economic. It also has political technological, cultural and even spiritual dimensions."
He spoke of exploitative labour practices, environmental degradation, the spread of North American culture and international sexual exploitation.
He described the goals of the Jubilee Debt Campaign, to cancel the debt of low-income countries and end the structural adjustment policies imposed on those nations by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Closer to home, he explained how trade agreements led to a loss of local political control over resources.
Dr. Cynthia Patterson of the Eco-Justice Committee, gave a presentation on the Canadian aspects of globalization. "At the level of heart and hearth," she said, "we find the response of faith that another world - a just world - is indeed possible. There also we find the strength, grace and creativity required to shape and to live out alternatives to corporate globalization."
The texts of Mr. Dillon's and Dr. Patterson's speeches are available on the General Synod Web site.
2B. Dignity, Inclusion and Fair Treatment
Mr. Allen Box, Diocese of Ottawa and chair of the Task Force on Dignity, Inclusion and Fair Treatment, introduced the presentation. Ms. Donna Ball, Diocese of Rupert's Land, led a prayer.
Ms. Sherry Coman, Diocese of Toronto, presented the historical background of the failure to achieve acceptance of various documents presented in the past. Members of the Imagistic Theatre Group presented a skit on discrimination.
Mr. Andrew Ignatieff, staff support for the committee, and Ms. Dorothy Davies-Flindall read from A Call to Human Dignity: A Statement of Principles for the ACC on Dignity, Inclusion and Fair Treatment.
After a period of table discussions, representatives of each ecclesiastical province were invited to comment. The Right Rev. Terry Buckle, Bishop of Yukon, Province of B.C., said the bishops defeated a similar motion at the 1998 General Synod, because of the inclusion of the words, "sexual orientation" and noted that they remain in the document before the 2001 General Synod. A resolution to submit the document will come before Synod later.
3. Voting for Prolocutor
Ms. Dorothy Davies Flindall was elected Prolocutor on the second ballot. Ms. Flindall has been active in the life of the Church for many years, both at the national Church and at the Diocesan level, serving on many committees. She served on the Council of General Synod, Partners in Mission Committee, and the PWRDF National Committee, of which she was Chair for seven years. She has served on the General Synod Nominating Committee and currently is the Chair of the Agenda Committee. She is currently on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Council of Churches.
Results by ballot follow:
First ballot
Total votes cast: 291; required to elect:146
The Ven. James A.J. Cowan 64
Ms. Dorothy Davies Flindall 112
Mrs. Helen Harradence 30
The Ven. Helena-Rose Houldcroft 31
Mr. James Sweeny 54
Second ballot
Total votes cast: 279; required to elect: 140
The Ven. James A.J. Cowan 67
Ms. Dorothy Davies Flindall 159
The Ven. Helena-Rose Houldcroft 10
Mr. James Sweeny 43
4. Resolutions
(Resolutions are posted on the General Synod Web site. Amendments to motions that are carried as amended are noted in the Daily Report.)
A150 on gambling
Ms. Susan Winn, Diocese of Montreal, explained that the resolution was being withdrawn because insufficient discussion had taken place with the Anglican Council of Indigenous People.
A revised resolution will be presented to CoGS in 2002.
The Most Rev. David Crawley, Metropolitan of British Columbia, moved that this General Synod express its congratulations to Bishop Ray Schultz on his being elected to the position of national bishop of the ELCIC. Carried by applause.
A164
that the Anglican Church of Canada adopt and implement The Waterloo Declaration.
Calling it "a historic moment," The Right Rev. Fred Hiltz, Bishop of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island introduced the motion for the ACC to enter full communion with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada. Seconder, the Ven. James Cowan, called it the result of 30 years of prayer. The motion was carried in both houses of clergy and laity and the house of bishops.
Despite the Primates' warning to delegates that motions should not be applauded, the General Synod gave the successful motion a standing ovation and sang Praise Him From Whom All Blessings Flow.
Jon Fogelman and the Rev. Gordon Jensen of the National Church Council, ELCIC, presented the Primate with a basket containing bread and wine, "the symbols of our communion," they said.
"Thank you," Archbishop Peers replied. "The joy of it will be in the use of it, together." When the Primate later took a cell phone call from Bishop Telmor Sartison and announced that the ELCIC had "overwhelmingly approved the declaration," General Synod rose again in a standing ovation.
A077-A082 Marriage Canon
A077
To reduce the number of impediments of relationship to marriage: Carried as amended to reword section 3 (b): "Notwithstanding the above, where the parties to the intended marriage have previously lived or lives in the same household and one party has been treated by the other as a child or parent, marriage between them shall be prohibited."
A078
To reduce the notice to clergy required for a marriage from 60 days to 30 days: Defeated.
A079
To permit marriages outside church buildings under certain circumstances: Carried.
A080
That common-law relationships not be blessed; that information on interfaith marriages be posted on the ACC Web site;
That Pastoral Guidelines for Interchurch Marriages between Anglicans and Roman Catholics in Canada continue to be used. Carried.
A081
That liturgies for the blessing of civil marriages be developed and included in any future book of liturgies; and that a rubric be developed to adapt marriage services for a renewal of marriage vows. Carried.
A160 Patenting of Living Organisms To urge the federal Government to oppose changes to trade agreements that would make it harder for developing countries to control genetic resources for their economic development. Carried.
5. Presentations
5A. Task Force on Jurisdiction
The Rev. Canon Kim Murray presented the preliminary report of the Task Force on Jurisdiction. The task force is reviewing the constitutional documents of the General Synod and the four provincial synods in an attempt to define areas of jurisdiction and authority in matters of doctrine, worship and discipline.5B. Decade to Overcome Violence
Alice Jean Finlay, Diocese of Toronto, reported on her recent trip into Southern Sudan as a member of the PWRDF and the central committee of the World Council of Churches. She described movingly the "almost sacramental" moment of naming the dead with a group of refugees.One ray of hope in the midst of civil war, she said, is the New Sudan Council of Churches, currently in exile.
6. Resolution
A151(a) revised
To support the World Council of Churches Decade to Overcome Violence and encourage dioceses and parishes to engage in related learning and action. Carried.
7. Presentation on Sexuality
The Right Rev. Michael Ingham, Bishop of New Westminster, spoke on the situation of many gay and lesbian couples in his diocese who, he said, came to the church for support and recognition but instead were offered healing for an illness they did not know they had.Two successive diocesan synods have voted in favour of recognizing gay and lesbian relationships and both times, Bishop Ingham withheld his consent, first, he said, because of fears for unity in the diocese, then out of concern for those with traditional views who felt out of step with new developments.
Bishop Ingham said that he had been instructed by his diocese to make a formal apology to gay and lesbian church members. He said that he would do so and extended the apology to include the other dioceses whose gays and lesbians had moved to his diocese.
"I and our diocese, apologize to you for your treatment, and sometimes mistreatment, in the life of the church, for our slowness in recognizing you as sexual beings created in the image of God, deserving a deeper communion with God and the freedom and responsibility of life-long permanent and committed union in body, mind and soul with those you love.
"I ask your forgiveness when we have wronged you knowingly and unknowingly, and pray that we, with you, one day may know a time when, in Christ, there is no Jew or Greek, male or female, slave or free, gay or straight; that on that day we may be equal members of the church and Christ will be all in all."
Chris Ambidge, Diocese of Toronto and member of Integrity, said "We must not outsource our pastoral care of gays and lesbians" to other denominations because of Anglican refusal to meet pastoral needs.
The Rev. Sarah Tweedale, Diocese of New Westminster, spoke about using conflict resolution techniques to identify and resolve issues with gays and lesbians. But in the end, she said, perhaps the most courageous thing to do was simply to admit that "we don't know what to do," she said.
The Rev. Gordon Beardy, said the issue was not an issue in his Diocese of Keewatin or for him until he met a family with a lesbian daughter. Now he recognizes that there is a lot of pain involved.
"We are struggling with that pain and my question is, where is the spirit in this?" He suggested that prayer is needed.
8. No Debate List
The following resolutions will be introduced in General Synod at a later time when their movers will speak to them and they will be voted on without further debate.A032 Handbook: uniformity of formatting
A072 Amendment to Canon VII re officers of the Missionary Society
A073 Amendments to Canon VIII re the General Synod pension plan and income continuance plan
A074 Amendments to Canon IX re lay retirement plan
A100 Information Resources Committee terms of reference
A200 Financial statements
A201 Auditors
A250 Amendments to pension regulations
A251 Amendments to the regulations of Canon IX, the lay retirement plan
A252 Amendments to continuing education regulations
A253 Amendments to the long-term disability plan
A254 Pensions financial statements
A260 Canadian Churches for Justice and Peace
A267 Guatemala
A268 Columbia
A269 Migrant workers
A271 Solomon Islands
A272 Indonesia
B001 Diocesan boundaries: dioceses of Western and Central Newfoundland