THE theological response of the Church of England’s Faith and Order Commission (FAOC) to the Nairobi-Cairo Proposals was discussed by the House of Bishops when it met in York from Tuesday to Thursday.
The Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Unity, Faith, and Order’s (IASCUFO’s) proposals including changing the description and Instruments of the Anglican Communion (News, 2 March; Comment, 10 April; Letters, 17 April, 24 April).
On the description, the House concluded that the FAOC’s language — which would continue to emphasise the significance of eucharistic communion — would be the basis for further reflection.
On the part played by the Archbishop of Canterbury among the Primates, the House supported the FAOC’s judgement that “an open dialogue process” that did not presume any specific outcome “would be welcome”.
During its meeting, the House received an update from the Bishops’ Working Group on “Promoting Unity in our Nation”. The group, chaired by the Bishop of Leicester, the Rt Revd Martyn Snow, was convened “to help equip the Church to understand and respond to political and social polarisation in our country”.
The Bishops agreed on the importance of this work “and were keen to encourage local churches to offer spaces to listen, to be courageous in speaking truth to power and naming injustice, as well as actively seeking opportunities for community cohesion”, a statement from the Church of England said.
Another topic was trends in attendance at C of E services, between and across dioceses in the light of five consecutive years of growth. “The House welcomed the increased church attendance and paid tribute to the clergy, laity and volunteers across the country offering people a warm welcome and encouraging their faith,” the statement said.
The Bishops unanimously endorsed the FAOC’s teaching document Hope for All Creation, a response to climate change, and discussed the start of work on a review of the definition of safeguarding, “to examine whether the Church’s structures and processes are established in a way that can best ensure everyone it comes into contact with is kept safe from harm”.
Bishops also heard an update on “the evolution of the population of stipendiary and self-supporting clergy”, and discussed continuing work on clergy well-being and deployment, as well as support for the renewal of ministerial vocations.