Report of Proceedings 2014 General Synod November Group of Sessions Volume 45 No. 3 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 Secretary to the House of Bishops Legislative Counsel Mr William Fittall 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 17 November 2014) Introduction of New Members 1 Progress of Measures and Statutory Instruments 1 Report by the Business Committee 2 Legislative Business: Amending Canon No. 33 13 Presidential Address 14 Legislative Business: Draft Care of Churches and Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction (Amendment) Measure 18 Draft Church of England (Ecclesiastical Property) Measure 25 Draft Amending Canon No. 35 30 Draft Scheme Amending the Diocese in Europe Constitution 1995 31 Guidelines for the Professional Conduct of the Clergy 35 Questions 49 Second Day (Tuesday 18 November 2014) Violence against Religious Minorities in Iraq and Syria 84 Legislative Business: Draft Diocesan Stipends Funds (Amendment) Measure 101 Draft Naming of Dioceses Measure 106 The Anglican-Methodist Covenant: Report from the Council for Christian Unity 112 Diocesan Synod Motion: The Spare Room Subsidy 130 Farewells 144 FULL SYNOD: FIRST DAY MONDAY 17 NOVEMBER 2014 THE CHAIR The Archbishop of Canterbury (The Most Revd and Rt Hon Justin Welby) took the Chair at 2.00 pm Dr Philip Giddings (Oxford) led the Synod in an act of worship Introduction of New Members The Chair: In a moment I am going to read out the names of the new members of the Synod. Please would they stand in their places when I mention their names and remain standing so that we are able to greet them all with applause at the end. The new members are: the Rt Revd Robert Innes (Bishop of Gibraltar in Europe), replacing the Rt Revd Geoffrey Rowell; the Rt Revd Richard Frith, in his new incarnation as Bishop of Hereford, replacing the Rt Revd Anthony Priddis; the Rt Revd Paul Bayes (Bishop of Liverpool), replacing the Rt Revd James Jones; the Ven Sarah Bullock, replacing the Revd Jeremy Fletcher; Mr Paul Tapp, replacing Mrs Judith Ayers, Exeter; Mr Martin Sewell from Rochester, replacing Mr Jim Cheeseman; Air Vice Marshal Malcolm Brecht, Armed Forces Synod, replacing Colonel Peter McAllister; the Ven Michael Kavanagh, Chaplain General of Prisons, replacing the Ven William Noblett. May we greet them all? (Applause) I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the three outgoing Church of England Youth Council representatives: Sam Magorrian, Charlotte Cook and Heather Pritchard. May we thank them together? (Applause) Progress of Measures and Statutory Instruments The Chair: I am required to report to the Synod as follows: the Ecclesiastical Offices (Terms of Service) (Amendment) Regulations 2014 have been laid before Parliament and will come into force on 30 November 2014. The Ecclesiastical Judges, Legal Officers and Others (Fees) Order 2014 has been laid before Parliament and will come into force on 1 January 2015. The Payments to the Churches Conservation Trust Order 2014 has been laid before Parliament and will come into force on 1 April 2015. The Church Representation Rules (Amendment) Resolution 2014 has been laid before Parliament. Paragraphs 16 to 20 of the Resolution will come into force on 1 January 2015. Paragraphs 1 to 15 will come into force on the same date as the coming into force of Amending Canon No. 32. All the remaining provisions of the Church of England (Miscellaneous Provisions) Measure 2014 which are not yet in force will come into force on 1 January 2015. 1 Progress of Statutory Measures and Instruments Monday 17 November The Bishops and Priests (Consecration and Ordination of Women) Measure 2014 has been laid before Parliament and received the Royal Assent. Section 1(1) and (so far as not already in force) section 4 of the Measure came into force on 14th November. In the event that the Synod resolves later this afternoon to make, promulge and execute Amending Canon No.33, it is intended that the remaining provisions of the Measure be brought into force from today’s date. That concludes the formal business. THE CHAIR Mr Geoffrey Tattersall (Manchester) took the Chair at 2.06 pm Report by the Business Committee (GS 1967) Revd Canon Susan Booys (Oxford): I beg to move: ‘That the Synod do take note of this Report’ This is a short group of sessions and an historic one with a number of particularly important items on the Agenda. In a very short time the Canon that will include women in the episcopate of the Church of England will be promulged. The nature of our Orders touches on our relationships with other churches, and so it is significant that we shall also have an important debate on the Anglican-Methodist Covenant tomorrow. Since tomorrow will also be the first time that Synod has been addressed by a senior Muslim speaker, it is not an exaggeration to say that the whole of this short Synod has an historic significance. All this in a November Synod which is not something we would even expect at this point in a quinquennium. The Business Committee is aware that this is the third year running that Synod has met in November for reasons other than an inauguration. We know that there is a significant cost to dioceses, the national Church and individual Synod members in terms of the time, resources and commitment that is required to hold a Synod and attend Synod meetings. To take account of this, we have already made clear that the February group of sessions will be relatively short. That is to say a three-day group of sessions from Tuesday 10 February to Thursday 12 February. This Synod has its share of legislative business, perhaps less historic than the Canon for enactment but nonetheless very important for our life together. Later this afternoon, there will be a take note debate on the draft Guidelines for Professional Conduct of the Clergy. One feature of this Synod is the continued integration of our work and worship as we meet together. The timing for worship this afternoon has been brought forward to sit between that take note debate and Synod questions and this evening’s session will therefore close with a blessing. On Tuesday the particular focus of our prayer and worship will be for those who are persecuted for their faith, of whose plight we hope to gain greater understanding through the presentation on the persecution of religious minorities in Iraq and Syria tomorrow morning. We will have an opportunity to hear from a range of very distinguished speakers, and proper time has been allowed in the Agenda to enable 2 Report by the Business Committee Monday 17 November them to address us and to take questions from members of Synod afterwards. In my own diocesan synod on Saturday, I was privileged to listen to a presentation from an imam whose words impressed us and deepened our knowledge and understanding. I feel sure that the words spoken here tomorrow will be widely reported within those countries and communities currently experiencing persecution, and I know that you will be aware of our responsibility as we seek to learn together from the questions we pose to our panel. In every report I have brought to you I have mentioned our ongoing work on changing the culture of Synod. We received a great deal of helpful feedback at the July Synod fringe and afterwards in letters and emails, and we have provided a very brief annex to our report. We are planning more detailed work when we meet in March and I anticipate that further outcomes of this work will be in evidence in July. In particular, we are now looking ahead to the next quinquennium when a new Business Committee will need to take this work forward. To that end we planned some work that will help prepare the way for continuing developments into the next quinquennium so that what we see as a gently gathering momentum will not be lost. The Continuous Praying Presence initiative continues to embed itself in our life together as a Synod. I know that many of our cathedrals and parish churches are supporting us in prayer using the prayer card that has been published on the website, and as ever we are indebted to the Chaplain and to all those who are leading worship and upholding us in our work and in prayer. During this Synod I understand that the Lambeth team are inviting people participating in that Praying Presence to be photographed holding their prayers, and in this way our prayers will be shared through the Lambeth Palace Twitter feed. You are most welcome to join in this initiative. I do not know if there is yet a proper word for praying on Twitter and I think perhaps I should inaugurate a competition to find such a word. Before I close, may I say just a further word about the cost of Synod? Many of the costs that the dioceses and the National Church meet for a group of sessions are necessary and unavoidable.