Achi news desk-
By Rebecca Chapman
In 1991 the hip hop group Salt n Pepa released their song ‘Let’s talk about sex’; later the same year the House of Bishops published their Issues in Human Sexuality policy, stating that clergy did not have the freedom to enter into sexually active same-sex relationships (in accordance with the Church’s teaching that sexual activity for marriage). Thirty years later, the General Synod has same-sex relationships back on its agenda and ‘Issues’ have been left.
Following the five-year process of Living in Love and Faith (LLF), the Bishops have presented a multilateral proposal for the General Synod to consider in a five-hour debate on 8 February. In its current form the proposal has a Synod that mourns and repents for the failure of the Church to be welcoming to LGBTQI+ people and the harm that LGBTQI+ people have experienced and continue to experience in the life of the Church .
The Pastoral Principles will continue to be embedded locally and nationally, and learning together enabled by the LLF process continues. New pastoral guidance will replace Matters of Human Sexuality (which is not ‘a book that goes on the shelf’ as the Bishop of London described it, but ‘ongoing guidance’) which is expected to be in place by July. It is not clear exactly what the new guidelines will say.
The Synod is asked to confirm that it looks forward to seeing the House of Bishops ‘refining, approving and publishing the Prayers of Love and Faith’ used to bless same-sex unions, the use of which will is monitored for five years. and a report was duly returned to the Synod.
One cannot but wonder what the Church of England will look like at that point. The Prayers of Love and Faith are worth looking at for yourself, and form your own opinion on them. The Archbishop of Canterbury has told us that the series of prayers “seek to bless people” and therefore “very clearly fall within” Decision 1.10 of the 1998 Lambeth Conference.
This important part of the upcoming synod will take up a lot of time – first the introduction, then the group work where members can feed back into reflections on the Prayers and offer comments on the plans to develop Guidelines A new pastoral. Finally, the five hour debate.
their historical wealth with other dioceses. Synod will likely allow a register of services to be kept electronically (terribly modern) and also set the standard fees for wedding and funeral services. We will also discuss matters of public interest, including the cost of living and how the church can and does help. There will be a debate calling on the government to exempt charities (and churches) from liability on insurance premium tax, and to present a loyal address to the King.
Finally, there is a presentation and debate about how we have (or haven’t) made progress on safeguarding, for which the report has already made headlines with references to how victims of abuse have been ‘bullied, harassed’ and horrific abuse of Church of England staff. .
The National Safeguarding Team has been “at the forefront” of this abuse, leaving them “shut down” and struggling to engage with those who have been abusing staff. Meanwhile, Makin’s review, now over two and a half years late, remains short of a publication date, although one imagines it will be after the King’s coronation. And there will be time for questions – two slots this session – which could bring us back to sex. Because as Salt and Pepa sang, perhaps prophetically, back in 1991 “Don’t skirt, avoid, or invalidate the subject, Cuz that ain’t gonna stop it.
No doubt prayers will be needed so that we all reach the end with our wits intact! The Church of England’s Evangelical Council (CEEC) has said that the current proposals “advocate a settlement, without theological compromise, based on permanent structural reorganization leading to visible discrimination”. Leading LGBT activist Jayne Ozanne has tabled an amendment that goes further than the proposals, calling on the House of Bishops to “end discrimination based on sexuality by immediately introducing legislation to provide for equal marriage in the church to be reviewed in the July 2023 group. of sessions”.
We can expect more improvements, along with procedural proposals, personal stories and possibly a lot of pain on all sides. Whatever the synod decides, it may not be enough to appease the Senedd. A few days after the synod papers were published, the Speaker of the House of Commons put an Urgent Question to Ben Bradshaw MP to the Second Church Estates Commissioner, Andrew Selous MP. This is only the second time that such an urgent question for the Church Commissioners has been allowed in the House of Commons.
While watching from the public gallery I was encouraged by the calm, moderate manner in which answers were delivered, while disappointed about the lack of engagement of our Christian Members of Parliament, and a little confused why there is so much blame for the lack of doctrine. is thrown at the feet of the Synod. At the moment the Synod is asked to welcome the praise of the bishops from the prayers, not to ask for the approval to take place. The Bishop of Southwark was clear that the bishops were likely to “authorize them to be used however they may”. With potential pressure from parliament, will disengagement start to look like an appealing option rather than a repulsive one?
There are of course many other items on the agenda, including a great deal of legislation. Synod will implement one of the recommendations of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, and can ensure that church pensions are paid by extending the period that the Church Commissioners can tap into capital to pay. There will undoubtedly be a debate on the diocesan salary funds measure which will allow dioceses to share their historical wealth with other dioceses. Synod will likely allow a register of services to be kept electronically (terribly modern) and also set the standard fees for wedding and funeral services. We will also discuss matters of public interest, including the cost of living and how the church can and does help. There will be a debate calling on the government to exempt charities (and churches) from liability on insurance premium tax, and to present a loyal address to the King.
Business also involves internal ecclesiastical matters, which are not actual legislation, and currently Living in Love and Faith falls into this category, along with a debate on proposals to simplify the governance of our national ecclesiastical functions (the balance of current proposals remain sadly skewed, with a risk of concentrating power in the center even further, and a reduction in the links between governance and synod), and a debate on reforming how we pay for the training of clergy.
Finally, there is a presentation and debate about how we have (or haven’t) made progress on safeguarding, for which the report has already made headlines with references to how victims of abuse have been ‘bullied, harassed’ and horrific abuse of Church of England staff. .
The National Safeguarding Team has been “at the forefront” of this abuse, leaving them “shut down” and struggling to engage with those who have been abusing staff. Meanwhile, Makin’s review, now over two and a half years late, remains short of a publication date, although one imagines it will be after the King’s coronation. And there will be time for questions – two slots this session – which may bring us back to sex. Because as Salt and Pepa sang, perhaps prophetically, back in 1991 “Don’t derail, avoid, or make the subject impotent, Cuz that ain’t gonna stop it…”
Rebecca Chapman is a lay member of the General Synod representing the Diocese of Southwark.
