Synod’s refusal to back brave bid for legal clarity doesn’t bode well for due process
by Julian Mann, Christian Today:
A General Synod member’s brave bid at November’s meeting to get legal clarity on services of blessing for same-sex couples has revealed the reluctance of elected clergy and laity to hold the Church of England’s bishops to account.
This unfortunately does not bode well for due process in the implementation of the services, which the bishops are calling Prayers of Love and Faith (PLF).
On November 14, Clive Scowen, a lay member for London Diocese, moved an amendment to the main motion on the continuing implementation of the services. His amendment called on the “the House (of Bishops) to take no further steps towards implementing that motion until this Synod has considered the full legal advice received by the House prior to agreeing the proposals in GS 2328”.
GS 2328 was the document circulated to Synod members before they met in Westminster setting out the bishops’ plans for implementing the PLF services and a summary of the bishops’ view of their legal basis under the C of E’s Canons (rules), which are enshrined in English law.
Scowen is a trained barrister and former editor of the Law Reports published by the Incorporated Council of Law Reporting for England and Wales. He was scathing in his criticism of the bishops for not sharing the legal advice they had received with the Synod’s Houses of Clergy and Laity.
He said: “Synod is profoundly divided both as to the rightness of the Prayers and as to the nature of our disagreement. At times like this, the laws of the Church are exceptionally important. They are the structure which enables a divided Church to function.
“So, surely the one thing we can all agree on is that we need clarity about whether what is proposed is lawful.”
Related Posts
Tags
Share This
