After a long, drawn-out debate, and what some delegates referred to as a \u201cconfusing\u201d\u009d process, the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) on May 8 asked that a \u201csmall working group\u201d\u009d be appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury to \u201cconsider and consult with the provinces\u201d\u009d on Section 4 of the Ridley-Cambridge draft, \u201cand its possible revision.\u201d\u009d That group was asked to report to the next meeting of the Joint Standing Committee of primates (senior bishops of each Anglican province) and the ACC, which will meet before the end of the year.<\/p>\n
The ACC had, by a vote of 47 against, 17 in favour, and one abstention, defeated a section of the resolution that sought to detach the draft\u2019s controversial Section 4, Our Covenanted Life Together, \u201cfor further consideration and work.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
Prior to the vote, however, Archbishop Philip Aspinall, primate of the Anglican Church of Australia, noting that the process had bogged down so that session had to be extended, introduced an alternative resolution that addressed the concerns of both proponents and opponents of the issue. Some delegates spoke against the resolution while one, Rev. Janet Trisk of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, introduced an amendment to include two sections from Archbishop Aspinall\u2019s resolution. Those sections were those that called for the appointment of a small working group and for the JSC to \u201capprove a final form of Section 4.\u201d\u009d The amendment was carried by a vote of 33 for, 30 against, and 2 abstentions.<\/p>\n