by Julian Mann, Anglican Ink
At the service in Westminster Abbey marking King Charles III’s first inauguration of the Church of England’s General Synod, he could face a protest by ‘orthodox members’ refusing to take Holy Communion if they take the advice of campaign group Anglican Futures.
The Church’s media centre has announced: ‘His Majesty The King will inaugurate the newly-elected General Synod of the Church of England at a ceremony in London on Tuesday, November 17.
‘It will be the first inauguration of a new Synod in The King’s reign and first in the Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally’s tenure. His Majesty will attend a service at Westminster Abbey before moving to the adjoining Church House, Westminster, where he will address the inauguration ceremony in the Synod chamber. Archbishop Sarah and the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, will also give addresses.’
Anglican Futures has called for orthodox members to refuse to take Holy Communion at the Westminster Abbey service in a blog titled: ‘What’s the first test for General Synod?’
The blog argues that orthodox members of the Synod have a ‘choice to make’ over taking Holy Communion because if they did, they would be acting as if they were in ‘spiritual fellowship’ with revisionist bishops and LGBT campaigners in the congregation who want to ditch the Church’s biblical doctrine on marriage and sexual morality.
The blog says: ‘It is difficult to think of a more obvious sign of spiritual fellowship than the sharing of the bread and wine. The very bishops who they claim to have no spiritual fellowship with will be present at Westminster Abbey. There will be many in the congregation who are unrepentantly campaigning to tear the doctrine of the Church of England away from its biblical foundations. It will be an “open table”.
‘While the efficacy of the sacrament is not in question, they will need to decide how they register their broken spiritual fellowship. Some may choose not to attend the service at all. But for those who take their seat, the question is whether they will remain in it during the administration of Holy Communion. The alternative will be to go with the flow and receive the bread and wine alongside those they know to be living in sustained open disobedience.’