Hosted by the Anglican Church of Ceylon, the Safe Church Commission have met in Colombo, Sri Lanka, to discuss the priorities of the Commission, explore capacity development and plan for the 19th meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC-19) and beyond.
During the course of the meeting of the ACSCC from the 19th to the 22nd of January, hosted in the grounds of the Cathedral in Ceylon, discussions and planning for the future of the commission were facilitated, as well as other activities.
The group heard from local safeguarding trainer Tony Senewiratne, who has been working in safeguarding campaigns in Sri Lanka for more than three decades. They also engaged in planning for the medium and long-term strategy for the commission for the next 3-6 years and discussed upcoming regional Safe Church events.
The members took the opportunity to work on several resources, including progressing resources on topics such as the theology of safeguarding and forgiveness, as well as a suggested code of conduct. These, as with all Safe Church Commission resources, are designed to be adaptable to different contexts according to the individual needs of the provinces. They have also shared insights and work from around the Communion that supports the spirit of the commission and heard from survivors of abuse about their experiences.
The ACSCC will report on the progress of its activities and long-term plans in supporting member churches to promote a safer church at the next in-person meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council this year (ACC-19).
As an official Commission of the Anglican Communion, established at the request of the ACC at its meeting in Lusaka, Zambia, in 2016 (ACC-16), its purpose is an international advisory body for the effective implementation of the guidelines in the provinces of the Anglican Communion through the development of resources, training and liaison with provincial representatives. The primary task of the ACSCC is to promote the safety of people within churches of the Anglican Communion, with a particular focus on children, young people and vulnerable adults.
Mandy Marshall, Director for Gender Justice for the Anglican Alliance and the Anglican Communion Office and Link Director of the ACSCC, shared her insights from the meeting, saying, ‘It has been important to meet with the Safe Church Commission this last week at a critical point in the work of safeguarding around the Anglican Communion. We’ve been discussing plans, hearing about the work of different provinces and working on new materials to aid churches in diverse contexts to communicate the principles of safeguarding to their leaders and improve processes. As ever, the commission is committed to supporting and empowering member churches from all around the Communion to make churches and ministries safer for all.’
Speaking about the importance of embracing the journey to a safer church, the Rt Revd Cleophas Lunga, (Bishop of Matabeleland, Zimbabwe in the Province of the Church of the Province of Central Africa) and Safe Church Commissioner, said ‘Participation in the mission of God as Safe Church Commissioners is an honour, a privilege and an opportunity to offer an invitation and a reminder to the faithful to honestly deal with abuse. Everyone in every province has a responsibility to hold the line of defence against abuse of all forms through protection and response. We are to love, care and act justly in changing circumstances.’
After the commission has completed the meeting, two days of safeguarding training alongside the Extra-Provincial Church of Ceylon are also planned, as requested by its bishops. This includes working with the local safeguarding teams as part of the commission’s task to support the safeguarding needs of Member Churches and facilitate regional discussions as appropriate.
Find out more about the Anglican Communion Safe Church Commission.
Find out about the 19th meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC-19).