General
Synod of the Church of England at York, 7-11 July 2006-07-18
Diary
notes by Robert Key MP (Salisbury 407)
The
official record of this session, produced by Church House
staff, is available elsewhere, as is the record taken by
volunteers from the Salisbury Synod members
Setting the
Scene
It was the turn of the Province of York to host the July
session of Synod, so our President was Archbishop John Sentamu.
It was a relief to leave behind the stifling heat of London,
in the hope of arriving in the pure air of Yorkshire and avoiding
the legendary summer thunderstorms of the Plain of York. That
said, we knew we were in for some summer lightening!
On the
morning of 7/7 Kings Cross Station was a challenge to long-distance
travellers and commuters alike, as we negotiated the dignified
commemorations of the terrible events of a year ago. The train
left on time and with few obvious Synod groupies in evidence.
We alighted (why do we only do this from trains?) in the Victorian
magnificence of York Station, a stones-throw from the romantic
city walls. For me this was a move from one medieval city to
another. For Sue it was ‘back to school’, having
spent eight years at the Quaker Mount School (though a Scottish
Episcopalian herself!).
York has
a familiar feel for a Salisbury man – a city that has grown organically around a glorious
ecclesiastical building, at the hub of a system of Roman roads
and defined by rivers, bridges, walls and gates. Just much,
much bigger!
Unlike our
London sessions, York offers work, rest and play on one site – the university campus south-east
of the city. This university is post red-brick – more
steel and glass. Idling on the lakeside walkways or lounging
on the lawns is discouraged by the diverse collection of scruffy
ducks and geese – whose ownership of all the open space
is clearly marked.
In the beginning
The formal
proceedings began on Friday afternoon with welcomes to our
Anglican and Ecumenical guests, the introduction of new members
and a report by the business committee. The Archbishop of York,
sporting a cool and dapper half-sleeve suit, introduced us
to the Archbishop of Utrecht, Chairman of the Old Catholic
International Bishop’s
Conference, with whom we are in communion.
Then it was
open season on the Business Committee for those who like that
sort of thing, with criticism of item left out (eg a wholly
inconsequential 10-minute Rule Bill on Women Bishops in The
House of Commons which allegedly usurped the power of Synod)
or items which should be included (such as an educational programme
on the withdrawal of an education programme in Dartmoor Prison
).
Later Rowan
Williams updated Synod on the current situation in the Anglican
Communion, following controversial events at the General Convention
in the USA.
Your Salisbury
representatives met together for an Italian supper in an ancient
York cellar in an act of self-sacrifice and gastronomic solidarity
in anticipation of a weekend of student food.
Early start
Saturday
began for your correspondent with a stroll across the campus
to the studio in the roof of the Conference Centre, for a live
interview for the BBC Radio 4 ‘Today’ programme with the
formidable Sister Ann Williams (Church Army, Sunderland) who
is as opposed to women bishops as I am in favour. The real
significance of this discussion is that this flagship programme
decided that the Church of England matters again. Interview
over, we kissed and made up. I invited her to join me for breakfast.
She set off for mass. Over the cornflakes there were plaudits
for both of us. A good start to the day.
Yorkshire
Primate
John Sentamu’s Presidential Address was a learned treatise
on magnanimity and moderation. Did the diffucult Greek word
epieikes translate better as gentleness, graciousness, conciliatory,
lenient, forbearing or reasonable? Put differently, he said
it meant letting the world know that you will meet a person
half-way.
The Archbishop
taught us by parable and by joke. There is something beyond
justice. The mark of a Christian is to know when to insist
on justice and when to remember to love your neighbour as yourself.
Later, in
a sign of his new-found solidarity with Yorkshire, He reminded
us that he was christened John Mugabe Sentamu – and Mugabe is E-BA-GUM spelt backwards!
To ‘welcome and affirm’ or just ‘take note’?
The first
great debate of the Synod was whether or not to ‘welcome
and affirm the view of the majority of the House of Bishops
that admitting women to the episcopate…would be a proper
development…’.
There is
always more to be said on this subject, because all such decisions
are provisional, as Archbishop Sentamu reminded us in winding
up the debate. We listened to many old and some new insights.
Rowan Williams told us that The Church of Rome had moved the
goalposts when it came to the consequences of consecrating
women. John Sentamu asked us, if we refused to welcome women
to the episcopate, should we logically refuse them baptism
too? We ran out of time, then voted in favour of the motion.
The votes cast were as follows. House of Bishops, aye 31, no
42. House of Clergy, aye 134, no 42. House of Laity, aye 123,
no 68.
Sunday Eucharist
Visiting
someone else’s church can be an unnerving experience.
Salisbury to York certainly was for me. Passing through the
gate in the Roman city walls, the cacophony of bells was overwhelming.
The peals were all around, bouncing off the shpd and houses
in the narrow street. Turn the corner – and there, in
all its magnificence is the Minster, its white stone rich and
welcoming.
Conditioned
as I am to severe Purbeck marble perpendiculars and the unbroken
interpenetration of space from west to east, the Rood Screen
at York, topped by the organ, comes as an unfamiliar surprise.
Also a surprise is the lightness and uniformity of the stonework
and the brightness of the roof vaulting. York is not much bigger
than Salisbury – just more massive.
The chairs are not as comfortable!
The choir – bigger
but less powerful than Salisbury’s – sang the Missa
pro Victoria and we all sang ‘O for a thousand tongues’, ‘How
sweet the name of Jesus sounds’ ,’How shall I sing
that majesty which angels do admire’ (a favourite of
mine) and John sentamu’s own traditionally Jamaican hymn, ‘Alle,
alle,alle’ – with drums.
Our host
for the weekend presided in his cope of many colours. Rowan
Williams preached that religious extremists and terrorists
responsible for random killing show spiritual weakness and
are blind to reality. We can be confident in our faith because
we believe in God’s
power, not the fantasy of control. It was a wonderful and powerful
celebration of the Eucharist.
No nodding
off
Sunday lunch
in the cafeteria passed in the congenial company of the Bishop
of Durham and clergy from Worcester, Bath and Wells and our
own mark Bonney from Salisbury. A good geographical spread – but
what a small world it is. We were all inquisitive and networking
furiously. The clergy are at least as assiduous at this as
politicians! Family trees and career moves examined, we moved
on to the function of an established church and modern novels.
The afternoon
session considered the Archbishop’s Council
draft budget for 2007 (the main spending of the Church of England)
proposed at £30.4 million. I note, as a Member of the
Finance and Services Committee of the House of Commons, that
this is less than one tenth of the cost of running the Commons.
We also debated
Clergy pensions, the Church Commissioners Annual report, a
motion on CO2 emissions and a presentation on the Ninth Assembly
of the World Council of Churches.
I opted out
of the Football World Cup Final. Instead I sat down to a snack
with 52 assorted bishops, clergy and lay people for a ‘Chatham
House Rules’ discussion about how our Church perceives
and engages with single-sex issues. It was at once deeply moving
and deeply disturbing. We all have a long way to go. It was
suggested that Synod has actually gone back some twenty years
in its approach to lesbian and gay people who are Christians.
If true, why are hearts hardening, I wonder.
Women and
the Episcopate – the Monday sequal
Since the
decision last Saturday, that to ordain women to the episcopate
in the Church of England would be theologically sound and in
the tradition of our Church, there has been a tangible undercurrent
of revenge not far below the surface. A raft of amendments
to the Archbishop of Canterbury’s motion duly appeared on today’s
order paper – many designed to delay, prevaricate or
wreck.
The Chairman
(female) quickly caught the mood of the meeting and moved events
on purposfully, with acclamation from most of us. A sullen
minority fought on – but with little
gusto. Very little fresh ground was discovered or explored.
For most of us it is a huge relief that the way forward is
now clearer. Now the House of Bishops will set up a working
party to recommend appropriate legislation.
Had I been
called to speak (hope springs eternal!) I would have pointed
out that at no stage in our two debates had anyone mentioned
that we are the Established Church of our nation – and we should
raise our eyes from our navels to the world in which we live.
For those of us who value very strongly our constitutional
role, that is something we cannot ignore.
I would have
said that there are many millions of our fellow-countrymen,
who may not be regular church-goers but who do count themselves
as ‘Church of England’. They have listened to us
arguing about women priests, then women bishops, for thirty
years. Most are amazed that we have been unable to welcome
women unconditionally into the priesthood. They are losing
patience with us.
I would have
suggested that the working party should not recommend new female-free
administrative structures. There should be no parallel jurisdictions
and no third province. The bishop of the diocese should be
the bishop of all his or her flock in every parish in the see.
Furthermore,
both Houses of Parliament would be more impressed if we had
made some attempt to quantify the scale of the problem – which we have
so far failed to do. We know how many parishes in each diocese
have opted out of their Bishop’s authority (315 out of
13,181 nationally, or 2.4%). But, how big are their electoral
rolls – and what percentage of their parish share do
they pay? Is a tiny number of people setting the agenda for
the whole church? Are we spending our meagre resources wisely
in financing them, in the context of the mission of our church?
Faithful
Cities
Monday afternoon
saw Synod breaking out into groups to discuss our response
to the needs of our cities. My assigned group included members
from Manchester, Derby, Guildford, Southwell and Nottingham,
Bath and Wells, London and Oxford. The Archbishop’s Council will respond formally
next year on how we should respond to this major Report of
the Commission on Urban Life and faith.
Finale
How do you
end such a significant conference on a high? Answer - with
difficulty, because each of us will have our own personal views
and preferences, domestic, theological and spiritual. As we
left York, I realised what a very serious time we had spent
together for nearly five days. So it was with relief that, in
the best tradition of the church of England, we could all share
a chuckle. At York Station the timetable announcer has a very
particular way of directing travellers to the right platform.
I was so taken aback that I sought out the information desk who
confirmed I was not hearing things. For several years York’s
enterprising siren has been singing the timetable to recognisable
Anglican chants. Her Archbishop should be proud of her. I, for
one, will be having a word with the station manager at Salisbury.
Robert Key
Salisbury
20th July 2006 |
