Documents that traditionally have been made available to Anglican Journal staff were withheld from them at the March 10-13 meeting of Council of General Synod (CoGS), the church\u2019s governing body between General Synods.<\/p>\n
The documents, made available online to CoGS members in advance of their meetings, include reports from various officers and committees of General Synod and updates on developments affecting the church, as well as background information, to help members prepare for discussions.<\/p>\n
Archdeacon Michael Thompson, the church\u2019s general secretary, decided not to make the documents available, saying, \u201cThe docket is not public. It\u2019s a docket to help CoGS members prepare for the meeting.\u201d\u009d Thompson said that Meghan Kilty, General Synod director of communication, had brought it to his attention that, \u201cWe have not developed a policy about how a not-public document becomes accessible to the press.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
In the absence of policy, he said in an interview, \u201cThe default is, the documents are not public.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n