by ACNS Staff in York

The Church of England Synod Eucharist took place in the splendour of York Minster today with the Archbishop of York, the Most Revd David Hope, presiding and the Archbishop of Canterbury preaching. During the service Dr Hope called the full Minster to prayer. Two of the petitions were:

Lord Jesus, image of God, we defile your image in others.
Lord Jesus, you heal the wounds of sin and division.

In his sermon, the Archbishop of Canterbury spoke of how the appeal for unity in the Church "is easily capable of slipping into the search for an appearance of meaningless unanimity."

He said, "Unity is a gospel imperative when we recognise that it opens us to change, to conversion; when we realise how our life with Christ is somehow bound up with our willingness to abide with those we think are sinful and those we think are stupid.

The Archbishop spoke of a New Testament Church as being one "in which unity is seen as vital precisely because it invites us to struggle for blessing as we wrestle with a stranger." He added, "If someone else stands with me claiming the promises of Christ, then, for St Paul , my first assumption must always be that in unity - in conversation and struggle, agreement, argument, shared praise - I shall receive from them something of Christ."

At the conclusion of his sermon, the Archbishop said, "To live in His [Jesus'] peace, his unity, is to live constantly in the presence of his call to be converted. It is to recognise the immense cost of a unity that truly brings differences into a shared praise; and to accept that it will cost us everything. The luxury of separation is really death; the pain of unity is really life for us, 'destined and appointed to live for the praise of His glory.'"

During the service, the popular hymn by Fr Faber (1814-1863), was sung. One of the verses reads:

For the love of God is broader
than the measures of man's mind;
and the heart of the Eternal
is most wonderfully kind.
But we make his love too narrow
by false limits of our own;
and we magnify His strictness
with a zeal He will not own.

Before the final blessing Dr Hope took the opportunity to welcome the Archbishop of Canterbury to the Minster for the first time since his enthronement in February. On behalf of his archdiocese and to thunderous applause, the Archbishop of York emphasised the support and encouragement for Dr Williams through his continuing ministry.

 
Questions at General Synod

Last night General Synod included a question time. In response to several questions referring to homosexuality, the Rt Revd John Gladwin, Bishop of Guildford, spoke with conviction condemning homophobia and urged Synod members on all sides of the matter "to learn to behave as a Christian community". Speaking of gay clergy and the impact of the upheaval from the appointment of Canon Jeffrey John, Bishop Gladwin said he has heard from priests who are "angry, confused, depressed and frightened" and that the church has "lost ground on trust" with such clergy and church members. He also said that stereotyping is not helpful.

A study guide is to be published by the year end which, Bishop Gladwin said, "has the potential to be the focus for the thorough and honest debate which we need."

The Archbishop of Canterbury, in response to a question by lay member of synod, Margaret Brown, on same sex blessings and the Primates' Meeting, said, "The situation in Canada is the subject of ongoing canonical proceedings within that Province."

The Revd Eric Bramhall of Liverpool asked Archbishop Williams about "the disunity in the Church of England over Canon John's appointment." The Archbishop responded by saying, "You will know by now that Canon John has said that it was in view of the damage his consecration might cause to the unity of the Church, including the Anglican Communion, that he was seeking the consent of the Crown to withdraw from the appointment to the See of Reading."

In response to Mr Stephen Dunham of St Albans asking if the 1991 statement Issues in Human Sexuality treats homosexuality as a sin, the Bishop of Winchester, the Rt Revd Michael Scott-Joynt, said, "Issues in Human Sexuality draws a careful distinction between homosexual orientation and practice. It recognises that "homosexual people are in every way as valued by God as heterosexual people." In relation to homosexual practice within loving and faithful partnerships it says, "While unable, therefore, to commend the way of life just described as in itself as faithful a reflection of God's purposes in creation as the heterophile, we do not reject those who sincerely believe it is God's call to them."

The Revd Simon Stokes of Norwich asked the House of Bishops "if there is any reason why General Synod cannot vote in principle to ordain women bishops, before the Working Party on Women in the Episcopate reports?" In response, the Rt Revd Michael Nazir-Ali, Bishop of Rochester and Chairman of the House's Working Party, said, "In July 2000 the General Synod asked the House to initiate this work on the issues that need to be addressed in preparation for the debate on women in the episcopate so it would be inconsistent - and, some might say, perverse - of Synod to have that debate, or draw up legislation enabling women bishops, prior to the publication of the Working Party's report."