Children at the holy communion
Posted: 02 Nov 2006 @ 00:00
Sir, - As the last surviving member of the 1970 Ely commission, which began
in 1969 as an Archbishops' Commission and reported to the Synod in April 1971
under the title
Christian Initiation: Birth and growth in the Christian society, may I
say how gratified I am that, after 35 years, approval has been given to the
admission of children to holy communion.
In 1970, we were aware of the difficulties that surfaced in the Synod
debate. The reservations of Simon Butterworth could have been met by an
acceptance of our recommendations on adult confirmation. The perceptive remark
by the Bishop of Durham that the issue is really about full initiation echoes
the basis of our report - birth and growth. It is a pity that the Synod was not
brave enough, as we put it, "to make explicit its recognition of baptism as the
full and complete rite of Christian initiation".
On training and confirmation, our recommendations were: that provision
should be made at all levels of church life for clergy and laity alike to learn
how to train young people for responsible life in the community; and "that the
rite of confirmation continue to be administered as a service of commitment and
commissioning, but as a suitable stage in adult life with the laying on of
hands by the bishop or a priest appointed by the bishop for that purpose".
(Some of us were anxious that the ancient practice of the parish priest's
confirming his own candidates be restored, but we did not wish the role of the
bishop to be diminished. Indeed, we recommended that he administer first
communion.)
In the realm of training, I am aware that we are in a new situation, but a
re-reading of the chapter on this in the report would be well worth while.
STANLEY HOFFMAN
Flat 3, Ramsay Hall
Byron Road, Worthing
West Sussex BN11 3HN