Church of Ireland General Synod Votes to Subscribe the Anglican Covenant
The General Synod of the Church of Ireland meeting today in Armagh voted in favour of the following Motion on the Anglican Covenant: ‘Seeing that the Anglican Covenant is consonant with the doctrines and formularies of the Church of Ireland, the General Synod hereby subscribes the Covenant.’
The vote was passed by a large majority of the House of Representatives. The House of Bishops also voted as a separate House, approving the motion, also by a large majority.
The Motion was proposed by the Bishop of Cashel & Ossory, the Rt Revd Michael Burrows, and seconded by the Bishop of Down & Dromore, the Rt Revd Harold Miller. In the course of the Synod debate it was stressed that the word ‘subscribe’ in relation to the Covenant, rather than ‘adopt’, was important. Subscribing the Covenant is an indication that the Church of Ireland has put its collective name to and aligned with it. The Covenant sits under the Preamble and Declaration of the Church and does not affect the sovereignty of the Church of Ireland or mean any change in doctrine. ENDS
Issued by: The Church of Ireland Press Office Church of Ireland House
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Interesting to note here: The Church of Ireland does not ‘Adopt’ the Covenant, it merely ‘Subscribes’ to its communal ethic. The C.of I. obviously considers this an important factor in consideration of what the covenant might mean in terms of relationship. It does not adopt any policy that might not conform to its present theology or ethics.
Father Ron Smith, Christchurch
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