Standing Committee & RB
Standing Committee News - June 2006
The Standing Committee of the General Synod met on Tuesday 20 June 2006.
This was the first meeting of the new triennium of the Standing Committee and Archbishop Eames welcomed all the members of the new committee. He particularly acknowledged Mr Eric Driver, who at age 22 is the youngest member of Standing Committee.
Unusually there are twenty new members: Revd Shane Forster (Armagh), Revd Dr Maurice Elliott, Mr Robert Gallagher, Mr Henry Ritchie (Down and Dromore), Mr Peter Hamill (Connor), Mr Jason Shannon (Kilmore), the Very Revd Susan Patterson, Mr Robert Walker (Tuam), Mr Michael Webb, Mr Lyndon MacCann (Dublin and Glendalough), the Very Revd Robert Jones, Revd Linda Peilow (Meath and Kildare), the Very Revd Norman Lynas, Revd Philip Heak, Mr Cecil Wellwood, Mr Eric Driver (Cashel and Ossory), Revd Adrian Wilkinson, Mr Roy Buttimer (Cork, Cloyne and Ross), Mr Adrian Hilliard (Limerick and Killaloe). The Revd Canon Alan Abernethy is a co-opted member.
The Archbishop congratulated the Bishop of Cork, the Rt Revd Paul Colton, on achieving his LL.M in Ecclesiastical Law.
General Synod 2006
The Standing Committee had a detailed discussion on the General Synod in Armagh. Feedback included a desire to continue to keep the synod moving to different locations. There was also some concern expressed that a mid week synod meeting is no longer convenient for many people and suggestions for a weekend meeting were put forward.
ARCIC
In the light of proposals for the establishment of ARCIC III, the Standing Committee agreed to request the House of Bishops to express their concern over the methodology and direction taken by ARCIC II.
Review of Committees
The Standing Committee in November 2005 authorised the Honorary Secretaries to request each committee or board of the General Synod to submit a statement of purpose and an outline of its objectives for the next two to three years.
Committees are currently submitting responses to the Honorary Secretaries who will review these and bring proposals to the Standing Committee in the autumn. The new committee structure is intended to support the Church efficiently for the next five to ten years.
To facilitate the ongoing review the present committees have been appointed for one year only (until 30 June 2007) instead of the usual three.
The Anglican Communion
The Standing Committee had a comprehensive discussion on recent Anglican Consultative Council proposals for constitutional and procedural reform that had come out of the 13th meeting of the ACC. The proposals included a) that the members of the Primates’ Standing Committee become ex officio members of the ACC, and b) that the Primates and Moderators of the Anglican Communion become ex officio members of the ACC This would entail dividing the ACC into two houses: the House of Primates and the House of Representatives.
Following this discussion the Standing Committee voted to unanimously reject both proposals and the Honorary Secretaries were asked to convey the Church of Ireland’s response to the ACC.