CANON Sue Booys (Oxford), who chairs the
Business Committee, moved the approval of the recommendations for
seat allocation in the General Synod elections later in the
year.
Gerald O'Brien (Rochester) said the new seat
allocations were "unsupportable and gerrymandered", even if the
Synod had no choice but to support them. He noted that electors in
St Edmundsbury & Ipswich elected three members of the Synod;
but so did the diocese in Europe, which had half the
electorate.
"In justice, equity, fairness, and common sense, this proposal
fails the test," he said.
Canon Booys said that she had had this discussion with Mr
O'Brien on a number of occasions, and was not likely to change his
mind. The beginning of the next quinquennium was the best time to
raise the issue again.
The motion was clearly carried.
Amending Canon No. 32, which makes a number of changes to the
arrangements for synodical elections, and was given final approval
in July 2014, returned to the Synod. The Synod voted that it should
be made, promulged, and executed.
THE Bishop of Sodor & Man, the Rt Revd Robert
Paterson, moved the preliminary step to implementation of a
motion carried by the Synod changing authorisation of lay people to
distribute holy communion. The Synod agreed that a bishop should be
able to delegate the decision, and agreed to amend Canon B12 (Of
the ministry of the Holy Communion). The motion was carried by
Houses without debate: Bishops 25-0; Clergy 94-6; Laity 104-10 with
4 recorded abstentions. The motion that the petition for the Royal
Assent and Licence be adopted was then carried on a show of
hands.