Report of Proceedings 2014 General Synod February Group of Sessions
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Report of Proceedings 2014 General Synod February Group of Sessions Volume 45 No. 1 Officers of the General Synod Presidents The Archbishop of Canterbury The Archbishop of York Prolocutors of the Lower Houses of the Convocations Canterbury York Ven. Christine Hardman Ven. Cherry Vann The House of Laity Chair Vice-Chair Dr Philip Giddings Mr Tim Hind Secretary General Mr William Fittall Clerk to the Synod Chief Legal Adviser and Dr Jacqui Philips Registrar Mr Stephen Slack Administrative Secretary to the House of Bishops Standing Counsel Mr Ross Gillson Mr Christopher Packer Secretary to the House of Clergy Deputy Legal Adviser Mr Jonathan Neil-Smith Revd Alexander McGregor Secretary to the House of Laity Mr Nicholas Hills Officers of the Convocations Synodical Secretary of the Convocation of Canterbury Registrar Revd Stephen Trott Mr Stephen Slack Synodal Secretary of the Convocation of York Registrar Ven. Alan Wolstencroft Mr Lionel Lennox Contents Full Synod: First Day (Monday 10 February 2014) Introduction of New Members 1 Progress of Measures and Statutory Instruments 1 Report by the Business Committee 2 Dates of Groups of Sessions in 2016-2018 9 Ethical Investment: Presentation under SO 97on behalf of EIAG 10 Gender-Based Violence: Presentation under SO 97 23 Gender-Based Violence: Debate 27 Questions 40 Second Day (Tuesday 11 February 2014) Women in the Episcopate: Draft Declaration on the Ministry of Bishops and Priests 77 Legislative Business: Draft Bishops and Priests (Consecration and Ordination of Women) Measure and Draft Amending Canon No. 33 – Draft Measure and draft Amending Canon for Revision 91 Draft Act of Synod rescinding the Episcopal Ministry Act of Synod 1993 99 Article 8 Reference to the Dioceses: Motion to Suspend SO 90(b)(iii) 104 Legislative Business: Draft Church of England (Naming of Dioceses) Measure 114 Draft Church of England (Pensions) (Amendment) Measure 118 Draft Parochial Fees and Scheduled Matters Amending Order 2014 121 Legal Officers (Annual Fees) Order 2014 2014 131 The Church Representation Rules (Amendment) Resolution 2014 140 Third Day (Wednesday 12 February 2014) Presidential Address 157 Safeguarding: Proposals for Legislative Change 160 Legislative Business: The Church Representation Rules (Amendment) Resolution 2014 (resumed) 174 Diocesan Synod Motion: Environmental Issues 182 Private Member’s Motion: Girl Guides’ Promise 201 Private Member’s Motion: Canon B 8 214 Human Sexuality: Report from the House of Bishops’ Working Group and Next Steps 216 Farewells 227 Introduction of New Members Monday 10 February 2014 Full Synod: First Day Monday 10 February 2014 THE CHAIR The Archbishop of Canterbury (Most Revd and Rt Hon Justin Welby) took the Chair at 2.00 p.m. Revd Prebendary David Houlding (London) led the Synod in an act of worship. Introduction of New Members The Chair: In a moment I shall read out the names of the new members of the Synod. I would be very grateful if they would stand in their places when I mention their names and remain standing so that we can greet them all with applause at the end. The new members are: Lt Gemma Winterton (Armed Forces Synod), replacing Lt Cdr Philippa Sargent; Ven. Andrew Brown (Sodor and Man), replacing Revd Marc Wolverson; Dr Graham Parr (Chichester), replacing Mrs Joy Gilliver; Rt Revd Paul Butler (Durham) – replacing someone who has gone into well-deserved obscurity! – and Mrs Caroline Herbert (Norwich), replacing Mr Geoffrey Wortley. (Applause) I will now read out the names of the bishops who are attending this group of sessions because the diocesan see is vacant. I remind members that these bishops have the right to speak but not to vote, and do not form part of the quorum for the House of Bishops. Again, please would they stand in their places when I mention their names and remain standing so that we can greet them with applause together? The bishops attending this group of sessions are: the Bishop of Taunton, Rt Revd Peter Maurice (Bath and Wells) – and one can understand why he might not be here! – the Bishop of Crediton, Rt Revd Nick McKinnel (Exeter); the Suffragan Bishop in Europe, Rt Revd David Hamid (Europe); the Bishop of Dorking, Rt Revd Ian Brackley (Guildford); the Bishop of Ludlow, Rt Revd Alistair Magowan (Hereford); the Bishop of Warrington, Rt Revd Richard Blackburn (Liverpool); and the Bishop of Sherwood, Rt Revd Tony Porter (Southwell and Nottingham). May we greet them all? (Applause) Having been in South Sudan less than two weeks ago, I would especially like to welcome, sitting in the gallery, Rt Revd Elijah Mutaney Awate, Bishop of Cueibet, South Sudan. (Applause) I urge members to take every opportunity to speak to Bishop Elijah and to listen to his testimony of a heroic church. Progress of Measures and Statutory Instruments The Chair: I am required to report to the Synod that the Church of England (Miscellaneous Provisions) Measure has been submitted to the Ecclesiastical Committee, which will consider it on 26 February; all those provisions of the Clergy Discipline (Amendment) Measure 2013 that were not previously in force came into force on 1 February 2014; the Clergy Discipline (Amendment) Rules 2013 have been laid before Parliament and came into force on 1 February 2014; the Clergy Discipline Appeal (Amendment) Rules 2013 have been laid before Parliament and came into force on 1 February 2014, save that Rules 2–9 and 17–19 have no effect in relation to any complaint made before that date; and the 1 Progress of Measures and Statutory Instruments Monday 10 February 2014 Ecclesiastical Judges, Legal Officers and Others (Fees) Order 2013, the Legal Officers (Annual Fees) Order 2013 and the Faculty Jurisdiction Rules 2013 have been laid before Parliament and came into force on 1 January 2014. For the convenience of members, the matters that I have reported will be set out in a notice paper. THE CHAIR The Bishop of Birmingham (Rt Revd David Urquhart) took the Chair at 2.20 p.m. The Chair: Synod, we come now to Item 3. This is an opportunity for members to make brief points on the adequacy or otherwise of the Agenda and other matters related to the report of the Business Committee. No other items will be allowed. Report by the Business Committee (GS 1931) Revd Canon Sue Booys (Oxford): I beg to move: ‘That the Synod do take note of this Report.’ Friends, once again I am opening a group of sessions in which much of the focus is on the legislation for Women in the Episcopate. A number of interrelated items form a complete package and, for the sake of ease and consistency, we have scheduled all that business tomorrow. There will be four separate strands to the discussions and decisions that we will make. The first discussion relates to the House of Bishops’ draft Declaration and Disputes Resolution Regulations. These are not ours to decide but the House has brought them here as an essential part of the context in which we shall make other decisions. We need to know what the proposals are and understand how it is expected that they will work. This debate also gives us an opportunity both to endorse and to comment on them. The House will, I am sure, be listening carefully to our discussions. In November we decided to dispense with a Revision Committee stage of the draft Measure and Amending Canon so that we could work together here, in the revision stage, to retain the delicate and essential balance of both legislative and non-legislative proposals. In the context of the understanding established through those first two pieces of work, we will move on to give preliminary consideration to the draft Act of Synod to rescind the Episcopal Ministry Act of Synod 1993. With regard to the opportunity to suspend SO 90(b)(iii), in the light of our debates and experience last November we anticipate that the way in which we work together tomorrow will demonstrate a level of agreement that makes a faster process for the Article 8 Reference realistic and sensible, but I shall speak to the Synod in more detail about this on Tuesday. One of our responsibilities as we work together is to consider important and sensitive issues. On Wednesday we shall consider the new safeguarding proposals approved by the Archbishops’ Council and the House of Bishops, prior to legislation being introduced to give effect to them at the July group of sessions. 2 Report by the Business Committee Monday 10 February 2014 In the wake of the November group of sessions, the Business Committee considered comments from members about speeches that it was felt should have been either curtailed or moderated in some way. Under SO 17 only ‘irrelevance, tedious repetition, unbecoming language or a breach of order’ allow chairs to stop a speaker. For the foreseeable future it is likely that we shall be discussing sensitive and controversial issues, about which we all hold differing and firm views. Therefore, on behalf of the Business Committee, I would like to remind us all of the importance of maintaining a balance between our respect for difference and the need for lively debate, as well as our collective responsibility for holding other Synod members to account when they express views that could be construed by others outside this chamber as offensive or misleading. In that same context I remind members of GS Misc. 995, circulated at the beginning of the quinquennium. That document, copies of which are available at the information desk, is based on the seven principles established by the Committee on Standards in Public Life. It reminds us of our personal responsibility to disclose to Synod members, and to observers who do not know us, factors that might be relevant to the way in which our arguments may be heard and evaluated.