Tucked away within a wider press release just before Christmas it has been announced that at their December meeting the Church of England’s House of Bishops decided that “the House does not intend to issue a further pastoral statement on civil partnerships” and that “the requirements in the 2005 statement concerning the eligibility for ordination of those in civil partnerships whose relationships are consistent with the teaching of the Church of England apply equally in relation to the episcopate”. The announcement is already beginning to gain attention and speculation as to its significance including at Changing Attitude and Thinking Anglicans but its full import remains largely unconsidered. What follows seeks to set this decision in context and highlight important questions that remain unanswered and issues that need addressing.
[blockquote]Given the current tensions in the Church of England over women bishops, the Global South’s concerns as to how the new Archbishop of Canterbury can restore their confidence in Communion structures, the debates about same-sex marriage in British society and the ongoing work of the Pilling Group on sexuality, this decision to reverse existing policy, with no rationale, further increases tensions in an unnecessary manner.[/blockquote]
Yes – good grief! Some serious questions are raised by Dr Goddard. What do the Bishops mean? Are they committing Hara Kiri as far as leadership of the Communion goes? Come to that, are they committing Sepuku as far as leadership of the Church of England goes? Do any of them speak or understand English or the importance of expressing themselves clearly in their statements? Have they been taking lessons from Dr Williams in the use of plain English? Did perhaps Dr Williams write this statement for them? The Horror! The Horror!