Some early observations at General Synod
By Sue Careless
WHILE most Canadians were preparing to relax and enjoy the long Canada Day weekend, over two hundred Anglicans were gathered in Calgary, Alberta to study, debate and vote on numerous resolutions at the 43rd General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada.
“Let there be greening” was the title or theme of the six-day Synod, held June 27-July 2. The title was not a direct biblical quote nor was there any particularly distinctive Christian symbol in the graphic created for the national gathering.
Usually, the governing body of the Anglican Church of Canada meets every three years, but because of the pandemic, four years have elapsed since their last meeting.
A Creed without Christ
Worship and Bible study occurred daily but some of the delegates expressed concern over an “Affirmation of Faith” used in the Wednesday evening liturgy, which made no mention at all of Jesus Christ:
We are not alone; we live in God’s world.
We believe in God, who has created and is creating,
Who works in others and us through the Spirit.
We trust in the Creator.
We are called to be,
to celebrate God’s presence,
to live with respect in creation,
to love and serve others,
to seek justice and to resist injustice,
to seek out models of hope and peace.
In life, in death, in life beyond death, God is with us.
We are not alone.
Stand and be counted
At the last General Synod held in 2019 in Vancouver, electronic voting with hand-held clickers occasionally malfunctioned. So there has been a return to the traditional voting procedure of standing (or raising your hand if you are unable to stand) and being counted. In what appear to be close votes, staff are dispersed to tally and record the results. The electronic voting ensured at least a temporary secret ballot while standing is more public. People literally will know “where you stand” on a resolution.
Display space
Because the synod is being held alongside its full communion partner, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC), space is at a premium in the limited display area at the University of Calgary. Some groups associated with the ACoC who in past years have had booths, such as the Prayer Book Society of Canada and the Anglican Communion Alliance, were unable to secure a space to speak directly to delegates and share their resources. Their presence, if at all, had to be offsite or as official observers. The ACA welcomed delegates to a hospitality suite in a nearby university residence for fellowship, discussion and prayer.
In Memoriam
At the opening of General Synod is the Memoriam, when the names of former members of General Synod who have died since the last session are honoured. Three names were added including two retired bishops who had died recently: Claude Miller of Fredericton and Edward Marsh of Newfoundland. Although Primate Linda Nicholls encouraged the delegates to note the list in their circular, a delegate requested that the names be read aloud and the Primate did so.
Primatial address
In her primatial address Archbishop Nicholls had a lot of ground to cover. She noted that the pandemic had forced the denomination to find new ways to sing the Lord’s song during lockdown when church buildings were closed and “we were exiled from all that was familiar.” Zoom had real benefits as did online worship. “We rediscovered spiritual communion” and she was able to visit more congregations online than in person in the past.
She acknowledged that the average demographic of the denomination was over fifty but asked for the youth delegates to stand. (Each diocese sends one youth delegate to synod.)
Although there was much that she was proud of during the past four years in office, the archbishop paused frequently to collect herself as she acknowledged the challenge of handling misconduct allegations. She cited how an article in the Anglican Journal caused added grief to a survivor of sexual assault.
“We are a church committed to being a safe church but allegations of misconduct do and still will arise. During this quadrennium one bishop [Lincoln McKeon, bishop of the Territory of the People] relinquished his ministry following a substantiated complaint. The former National Indigenous Archbishop [Mark MacDonald] voluntarily resigned and relinquished his ministry after a complaint was brought forward. And although the resignation and relinquishment of ministry pre-empt an adjudication, we have learned that this can be unsatisfying to complainants and others.”
“The Church is an imperfect human institution. I deeply lament that the Church sometimes causes harm and I weep with those offended.”
“We are committed to addressing these heart-wrenching situations as effectively and as pastorally as we can. But we also repent and ask forgiveness in doing this essential task.
“When this process involves a cleric, a deacon or a bishop, there is a necessary inhibition of their ministry. But this is not a pronouncement of guilt. That discernment awaits the adjudication at the end of an investigation.”
Only three days after being elected as the next bishop of the Diocese of Ontario, William Cliff, currently the Bishop of Brandon, had been inhibited. While the allegation is being investigated, Bishop Cliff may not exercise ordained ministry and so could not attend this Synod. However, he has not resigned nor admitted to the allegation, the nature of which has not been made public.
Extending the Primate’s Term of Office
Normally the Primate, like all bishops in the ACoC, must retire on reaching their 70th birthday. Under existing canons or church laws, the Senior Metropolitan would become the Acting Primate for the period between the Primate’s retirement and an electoral General Synod.
The Senior Metropolitan would continue working as Metropolitan and diocesan Bishop and would chair that electoral General Synod when a new Primate would be chosen.
Some who felt this was both too onerous for the Metropolitan and wanted more continuity for the work of the Primate, proposed a resolution that would extend the Primate’s term of office in the case where the incumbent turns 70 within a year prior to the next session of General Synod.
So, at the most the extension would be for no more than 12 months and the Primate would retire after chairing the next General Synod.
Those proposing the motion argued that it would provide continuity. The Primate would have been involved in matters for at least the first two years of the triennium, and so would be permitted to continue on dealing with such matters for a few more months until the next General Synod. (The Primate could, of course, decide not to continue serving and could instead resign.)
(There is currently a similar provision in the Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario with respect to extending the Metropolitan’s term of office.)
Those delegates who spoke against Resolution A053 argued that interregnums or times of transition can be creative and encourage more grassroots participation. Some also reasoned that retaining the age restriction would encourage the church to be more youthful.
As she would potentially be affected personally by the Motion, the current Primate, Linda Nicholls, did not speak to the motion nor vote on it on Wednesday when it was narrowly defeated. The next day, when a recount was called for by name (the vote had been close) and the debate reopened, Archbishop Nicholls was not present in the plenary session. The Motion passed easily in the Order of Laity, by only a few votes in the Order of Clergy and was again defeated in the Order of Bishops.
Therefore, the current Primate must retire by October 2024 and the Senior Metropolitan would serve as Acting Primate for the intervening eight months, until June 2025.
Secretary of the Anglican Communion
Bishop Anthony Poggo, Secretary of the Anglican Communion, and a former bishop of South Sudan, addressed the synod. He urged the delegates to “consider” their “contexts” when they disagree. He said that the Anglican Communion Office “oils the [four] instruments of Communion.” The four are the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Anglican Consultative Council, the Primates Meetings and the Lambeth Conference.
Bp Poggo restated what he had said a few months earlier, that the Archbishop of Canterbury and the other three instruments of the 85-million-member Communion were open to change. “Doing nothing is not an option.” However, any changes would have to be agreed upon and done through the existing instruments. “Through existing structures sustainable changes can be made.” So, it would seem that any change could only be initiated and carried out by the instruments themselves.
Dismantling racism
On Wednesday Brittany Hudson spoke on behalf of the Dismantling Racism Task Force and moved a motion that “General Synod would establish a permanent Advisory Council on Dismantling Racism” and that its membership would reflect the communities of the Church most impacted by racism, namely Indigenous persons, Black persons and persons of colour….”
However, Vince Solomon, a clergy delegate who serves in Epiphany Indigenous Anglican Church in Winnipeg, spoke from the floor: “We are one of the founding nations of this country, not just another person of colour. We have different issues. Leave us alone to do our own work.” Dorothy Patterson agreed with Solomon and asked for the removal of the term “Indigenous Peoples.”
Riscylla Shaw, suffragan bishop of Toronto and herself a Métis, asked that the debate and vote be postponed until the Indigenous delegates could have a chance to discuss the matter among themselves. This was accepted.
On Friday the Indigenous delegates agreed to retain the term “Indigenous Peoples” but added “Direct the Council of General Synod, in close consultation with the Anglican Council of Indigenous Peoples, to establish a permanent National Advisory Council on Dismantling Racism….” The amended motion passed unanimously.
3-Minute rule
At the last General Synod in 2019, there were a number of interpreters present helping Indigenous delegates if they needed assistance with English. Headsets were available and an interpreter would step up to the microphone if a delegate wished to address the floor in their Indigenous language. This synod there were no interpreters present. One suffragan bishop of the Arctic, Joey Royal, said in an email that “no one approached us in the planning to discuss interpretation.”
On Thursday, Ann Martha Keenainak, a clergy delegate from the Arctic, first spoke in Inuktitut about how difficult it is for delegates whose first language is not English to be able to articulate their thoughts within the 3-minute limit for speakers from the floor. A later delegate requested that the 3-minute rule would be waived for delegates for whom English is not their first language. The Prolocutor said they would take it under advisement. Later the Primate agreed.
Reconciliation with the Jewish People
On second reading (the first was at General Synod 2019) and without debate, the Anglican Church of Canada has authorized the following contemporary language collect for “Reconciliation with the Jewish People”:
O GOD, who has chosen Israel to be your inheritance: Have mercy on us and forgive us for violence and wickedness against our brother Jacob; the arrogance of our hearts and minds has deceived us, and shame has covered our face. Take away all pride and prejudice in us, and grant that we, together with the people you first made your own, may attain to the fullness of redemption which you have promised; to the honour and glory of your most holy Name. Amen.
It is a replacement of the Collect, “For the Conversion of the Jews,” on page 41 of the Book of Common Prayer (1962). It is a faithful rendering of that prayer into contemporary language, except that it omits entirely this sentence concerning conversion:
“Open their hearts that they may see and confess the Lord Jesus to be thy Son and their true Messiah, and believing, they may have life through his Name.”
The Faith, Worship, and Ministry Committee encourages the new prayer which speaks of repentance on our part and of reconciliation (but not conversion) “to be used widely, including in connection with Holocaust Remembrance or in response to anti-Semitic hatred and violence.”
The new version was created by the Prayer Book Society of Canada and will be printed in all new editions of the Book of Common Prayer.
In other news, lay delegate Ian Alexander was elected as Prolocutor and the Venerable Tanya Phibbs as Deputy Prolocutor.
Instead of waiting three years to the next national gathering, the next General Synod will be held in two years time. TAP
