General Synod of the Church of England – July 2023 – headlines
Sacked safeguarding board members address synod in watershed moment
There were extraordinary scenes as members fought to allow the two sacked members of its Independent Safeguarding Board (ISB) to address the synod. Steve Reeves and Jasvinder Sanghera said the trust of survivors in the church had been ripped away by their dismissal. Archbishops’ Council members had earlier given their version of events and how relationships had broken down. The synod expressed deep regret at safeguarding failures with the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, recognising things had gone wrong: “This is a watershed moment for us. We can’t get this wrong again”. Rosie Dawson’s report is here
New church governance model revises role of Archbishops Council
Hours after the debate, synod agreed to scrap the current governance model of the Church of England, subsuming the Archbishops Council into a larger body. Former Tory MP Sir David Liddington, who chaired the governance review, said it had found a lack of clarity over decision making, which led to dissatisfaction, distrust, a lack of transparency, a bureaucratic tangle and failure to hold people to account. Under the proposals, a new operations unit, the Church of England National Services (CENS), would take in the work of four organisations including the Archbishops Council.
What is it about the CofE and sex?
Bishops dealing with controversial plans to introduce blessings for same sex couples after civil marriage ceremonies, said there was more work to do on the wording of the prayers, pastoral guidance and pastoral re-assurance for clergy who oppose the move. Workstreams would be streamlined and it was hoped that proposals would come before the synod in November. The synod listened to bishops explaining their work to date, but there were no proposals to vote on this time. The Bishop of Dover, Rose Hudson-Wilkin, frustrated at the tortuous and acrimonious dispute, asked what was it about same sex marriage that caused this reaction: “Why are we reacting in such a visceral way? What is it? What does it say about us?”.
Bishop says wedding reforms undermine Christian marriage
The Law Commission’s reforms to wedding ceremonies has caused concern in the Church of England, with the Bishop of Durham, Paul Butler, saying they would undermine the Christian teaching on marriage. The shift from a system based on a building, to one based on a celebrant, would open the “weddings market” to commercial celebrants operating for profit, he said. The bishop was addressing a question raised at the general synod.
Archbishop says “Our Father” in Lord’s Prayer a reminder of unity
The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, said the words “Our Father” in the Lord’s prayer are problematic for people whose experience of earthly fathers has been destructive and abusive. But in the church, the words should remind people they are united in one family, because they pray to the same Father. Disunity did terrible damage to the message of Christianity.
Other news:
New cardinals including Hong Kong and Jerusalem
Pope Francis has announced that 21 new cardinals will be created at a ceremony in the Vatican on 30 September. Among them are the Hong Kong bishop Stephen Sau-yan Chow, and the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Monsignor Pierbattista Pizzaballa. The new President of the Dicastery for the doctrine of the faith, Archbishop Victor Manuel Fernández of La Plata Argentina, is also on the list. Associated Press report here. Three quarters of the Cardinals have been appointed by the Pope, increasing the chances that his successor is likely to be progressive and carry on his reforms. Pope Francis is 86 years old.
Jews in France fear rising antisemitism following recent riots
The Telegraph reports that Jews in France are alarmed at the impact on their community of the riots after a teenager was shot dead by police a week ago. A Holocaust memorial in Nanterre, the Paris suburb where the teenager was killed, was defaced with the words: “Police scum, from Sainte-Soline to Nanterre, neither forgotten nor forgiven”. The report quotes Yonathan Arfi, president of the Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions, saying the riots have inflamed mutual distrust between Jewish and Muslim communities. He feared the resurgence of the far right, which he said is dangerous for Jews.
California bill to end caste discrimination
California’s state assembly is to consider a bill to ban caste-based discrimination. The Religion News Service explains that discrimination has been reported in businesses with higher proportions of workers from south Asia, including information technology, education, construction, restaurants, domestic work and medicine. It has also been found in religious communities. Opponents say caste discrimination is not an issue and they challenge the data.
Fish ice cream – the latest “Frankenstein” kosher food
The Jewish Chronicle reports that an American kosher food manufacturer has produced a range of Jewish ice cream flavours including gefilte (poached) fish, matzoh ball (dumplings) soup and black and white biscuits. Manischewitz, a kosher brand, is known for creating “Frankenstein foods”. Last year, it is reported, the company made gefilte fish hot dogs and when asked why, they said it was because gefilte scored higher on the research. Story is here
