Questions for the Archbishop of Armagh and members of General Synod @churchofireland

I trust that those who are General Synod members attending this week’s meeting of the General Synod of the Church of Ireland in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin will actually read the proposed motions (8A, 8B, 8C) before them, and not just rely on the explanations that the Bishops are putting out. Dr Houston McKelvey and the volunteers of Church News Ireland are misleading on this issue.

Resolution 8A does not restate the C of I’s current position: it goes much further.

Resolution 8A demeans the relationships of re-married divorcees; can be used to exclude gay people from Holy Communion; and legitimises witch-hunts against gay clergy. The General Synod members need to think long and hard about even entertaining these motions at General Synod this week. According to the Standing Orders,

(d) A notice of motion received during a session of the Synod shall be read to the Synod by one of the Honorary Secretaries on such day as the President shall direct, but such motion shall not be taken into consideration until the next following session unless:

(i) it arises out of business already transacted at the session at which it is received, or

(ii) The President and a two–thirds majority of the members present and voting consent to its being taken into consideration at the session at which it is received.

If a motion is taken into consideration under (i) or (ii) it shall be taken into consideration on such day as the President shall direct.

Archbishop Alan Harper & Bishop Patrick Rooke (dublin.anglican.org) — The Most Reverend Alan, His Grace the Lord Primate of All Ireland together with The Right Reverend Patrick, Lord Bishop of Tuam, Elphin & Ardagh – how will they both vote on the issue of Resolution 8A?

It is clear that the President of General Synod, usually His Grace the Lord Primate of All Ireland, presently The Most Revd Alan Harper, has to agree to hearing the motions at this week’s Synod as well as two-thirds of the members of Synod. Therefore I ask the simple questions…

Archbishop Harper, will you support hearing the motions?
Members of General Synod, will you allow the Bishops to fundamentally alter the relationship between the laity and the Church by allowing Resolution 8A to be heard and then passed?