..The way forward needs to be about love, joy and celebration of our common humanity; of our creation in the image of God, of our belonging to Christ – all of us, without exception, without exclusion.
Nevertheless while the principles are straightforward, putting them into practice, as we all know, is not, given the deep disagreements among us.
We are therefore asking first for every Diocesan Bishop to meet with their General Synod members for an extended conversation in order to establish clearly the desires of every member of Synod for the way forward.
As Archbishops we will be establishing a Pastoral Oversight group led by the Bishop of Newcastle, with the task of supporting and advising Dioceses on pastoral actions with regard to our current pastoral approach to human sexuality. The group will be inclusive, and will seek to discern the development of pastoral practices, within current arrangements.
Secondly, we, with others, will be formulating proposals for the May House of Bishops for a large scale teaching document around the subject of human sexuality. In an episcopal church a principal responsibility of Bishops is the teaching ministry of the church, and the guarding of the deposit of faith that we have all inherited. The teaching document must thus ultimately come from the Bishops. However, all episcopal ministry must be exercised with all the people of God, lay and ordained, and thus our proposals will ensure a wide ranging and fully inclusive approach, both in subject matter and in those who work on it.
We will also be suggesting to the Business Committee a debate in general terms on the issues of marriage and human sexuality. We wish to give the General Synod an opportunity to consider together those things we do affirm..
The thing is, this is the programme set out in the House of Bishops’ Report which General Synod decided not to ‘take note’ of. The subject matter should not return in this Synod under the usual rules.
However, like some take the Brexit vote, we are told that that vote does not matter as it was only a take note motion, and the Archbishops of Canterbury and York will just steam ahead regardless.
It is just like Canterbury deals with Communion Primates’ decisions, they are rewritten, spun, told that either they have taken place when they haven’t, or have been observed when they have been clearly disobeyed. Black is white, left is right, and decisions, if Canterbury does not like them are just ingnored, or spun to mean the opposite of what they say. There is no integrity or truthfulness and things are just made up as they go along.
The beatings will continue until morale improves. Its the Iwerne way.