It was announced yesterday that the Revd Canon Andrew Dodd will be the next Dean of Coventry. He is currently Canon Treasurer at Canterbury Cathedral. The full announcement is here.
1 CommentAs most readers will be aware General Synod debated a private member’s motion on same-sex relationships on Monday. After amendment it was put to the vote in the following form
That this Synod
a) affirm that all baptised, believing and faithful persons regardless of sexual orientation are full members of the Body of Christ;
b) delight in the lives and ministries of LGBTQIA+ people in the Church of England;
c) recognise a legitimate range of theological perspectives, held in good conscience, across the Church of England, on the right ordering of committed, faithful, intimate same-sex relationships, and;
d) recognise that this includes views that affirm and views that reject the position that there are no fundamental objections to being in such a relationship and that such a relationship can be entirely compatible with Christian discipleship and ministry.
It was lost following a counted vote by houses. The voting was as follows:
For Against Recorded Abstentions Bishops 11 14 4 Clergy 93 79 0 Laity 101 83 0
In a vote by houses there has to be majority in favour in each house for the motion to be passed. As the majority of bishops voted against, the motion was lost even though the total votes were 205 in favour and 176 against.
The motion was originally proposed by Helen King, but illness meant that she was unable to attend Synod in person and the motion was proposed by Muriel Robinson. Synod members were provided with papers by Professor King and by the Secretary General.
Helen King attended remotely and has written about the debate here: Synod At Home (3) – Long Monday.
There is a Church Times report here: Motion affirming no fundamental objections to ‘committed, intimate, same-sex’ relationships falls in House of Bishops, and Colin Coward has blogged here: The House of Bishops does not control our intimate, sexual lives.
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157 CommentsThis post will be updated as the meeting proceeds.
The Church of England’s General Synod is meeting this weekend. The timetable is here, the agenda is here and the papers are here.
Live video etc
All sessions are streamed live on YouTube and remain available to view afterwards. Links have been provided in advance.
Order papers
Notice papers
Business Done
Official press releases
Press reports and comment etc
Church Times
Helen King
The Guardian
The 239 Questions (and answers) for this weekend’s meeting of the Church of England’s General Synod were issued today. They can be found online here:
There are two sessions scheduled for Questions: on Friday afternoon (not later than 5.35 pm) and Saturday morning (not later than 11.45 am).
Update Friday
The answers to some questions include material not suitable for inclusion in the questions booklet. This material is displayed on the noticeboard at Synod, and is included in this Addendum to Questions.
Update Saturday
There is further additional material.
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Helen King sharedconversations Learning to love and be loved: bishops, bodies and my Private Member’s Motion
64 CommentsThe Bishop of Bedford, the Rt Revd Richard Atkinson, has announced that he will retire at the end of this year. Details are on the St Albans diocesan website.
21 CommentsUpdated 7 July and 8 July
Eighty-two members of the General Synod have written to the Archbishops of Canterbury and York asking why a fringe event and exhibition space at the July 2026 Synod have been approved. The letter asks the Archbishops to exercise their discretionary powers as Presidents to uphold the Church’s safeguarding guidance and the ethos of the Church of England.
The announcement of the fringe event can be seen here.
The text of the letter is published at Unadulterated Love: Letter to Archbishops objecting to Synod event in support of “Conversion Therapy” and is copied in full below the fold.
Robert Thompson has written a further reflection on this issue, which is published at ViaMedia.News: The Body We Are Becoming: Ecclesiology, Safeguarding and the Common Life of General Synod
Update 7 July
The Telegraph reports:
A Church of England spokesman said: “A General Synod member has applied to host a Synod fringe meeting and related public display on ‘sexual identity transformation’ at the forthcoming General Synod meeting at the University of York. The organiser has made clear both will challenge the principles of a ban on conversion practices.
“Following careful consideration, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of York have informed the Synod member that their fringe meeting, as a private discussion for Synod members and invited guests, may go ahead as planned, but has declined permission for the associated stand and public display.
“In 2017, the General Synod voted, by a large majority, in favour of a ban on conversion practices. A publicly visible display would act as a public statement contrary to that stated position and is not appropriate in the circumstances.”
Update 8 July
In the archbishops’ letter to those who wrote to them about this, they also say:
“The University of York have made certain requests in relation to the meeting. If the meeting is to take place, the organiser will need to meet these requests which concern the name of the event, the display of signage and a disclaimer.”
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38 Comments