Forward in Faith welcomes the statement by Anglican Catholic Future about the latest Anglican-Methodist report.

In our own February 2018 statement, we noted questions about whether the proposals would lead to unity, and whether the office of ‘President-bishop’ (to be held for one year only) could be recognized as a ‘local adaption’ of the historic episcopate of the catholic Church. We are grateful to note some progress with regard to the question of unity, but our question as to whether what is proposed is in fact episcopacy remains.

Our third and greatest concern was about the proposal to set aside the requirement that those who minister as priests in the Church of England should have been episcopally ordained to the office of priest. In response to this concern, which was shared by others, the General Synod asked the Faith and Order Commission to ‘explore and elucidate further the relationship between episcopal ordination and eucharistic presidency’. That the Commission has not attempted to offer such an elucidation is a deep disappointment.

The requirement of episcopal ordination was fundamental to the 1662 settlement, which is in turn fundamental to Anglican identity. The Preface to the 1662 Ordinal makes clear that this requirement is a matter of doctrine. If this doctrine is set aside for a ‘temporary’ period that could last for sixty or seventy years, as is proposed, it will effectively have been abandoned. If a central tenet of Anglican doctrine can be abandoned in this way, what other tenets of Anglican doctrine might follow?

We recognize that the proposals are still developing, and the prospect of further work is held out. Such developing scenarios do not offer a sufficiently firm basis for the drafting of legislation. As the experience of the first Women Bishops Measure showed, if at the beginning of the legislative process on deeply divisive and controversial matters there is not an agreed outcome that enjoys a stable consensus of support, it is highly unlikely that the legislative process will deliver a solution. For the General Synod to vote for legislation to be drawn up, as the motion to be moved on Sunday proposes, would be premature and irresponsible.

Since 1662 the Church of England has always been careful to adopt a charitable and eirenic approach to other churches. She has been reluctant to unchurch them by condemning their orders, and has often affirmed the authenticity and fruitfulness of their ministries within their own context. At the same time, the Church of England has upheld the integrity of her own doctrine by admitting of no exception to the requirement of episcopal ordination for eucharistic presidency and priestly ministry. Proposals that sacrifice doctrinal integrity to ecumenical expediency are unlikely to prove wholesome, fruitful or – in the end – unifying.

Forward in Faith notes the Dean of Wakefield’s decision to comply with the ruling of the Independent Reviewer, Sir William Fittall, in his report on Wakefield Cathedral by making available to the complainant a service rota with information about the identity of those who will be celebrating the Eucharist in the Cathedral.

This is a welcome first step towards making Wakefield Cathedral once again a truly inclusive church in which traditional catholics are made welcome and encouraged to flourish. We hope for even greater generosity in future.

† TONY WAKEFIELD

The Rt Revd Tony Robinson

Chairman

LINDSAY NEWCOMBE

Dr Lindsay Newcombe

Lay Vice-Chairman

IAN McCORMACK

The Revd Ian McCormack

Clerical Vice-Chairman

In preparation for the retirement of the current Director, the Trustees are looking for an inspirational individual with successful experience in leadership to take up the key position of Director from January 2020.

It is an occupational requirement of this role that the post holder is a communicant member of the Church of England and is either a member of Forward in Faith or willing to join if appointed.

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact the Bishop of Wakefield on 01924 250781.

Email: bishop.tony@leeds.anglican.org

Further details are available to download at: https://www.forwardinfaith.com/Recruitment.php

Closing date for applications: Monday 10 June at 12 noon.

Forward in Faith welcomes the publication of the Report of the Seal of the Confessional Working Party. We welcome the recommendation that clergy should receive training about the sacramental ministry of reconciliation – something that we have long advocated. We are also grateful for the extensive quotations from our submission

The Church of England affirms that the seal of the confessional is ‘an essential principle of Church doctrine’ (Act of Convocation, 1959). We welcome the fact that, having carefully considered the evidence set out in this report, ‘a clear majority [of the Working Party] concluded that the weight of evidence falls in favour of the seal being maintained’.

Now that the report has been published, we renew our call on the House of Bishops to re-affirm the Seal of the Confessional as an essential principle of the doctrine of the Universal Church, as received by the Church of England.

Forward in Faith welcomes Sir William Fittall’s judicious report on Wakefield Cathedral.

We welcome particularly the Independent Reviewer’s ruling that ‘Even where the identity of the celebrant at a service is not routinely published in advance it should not be regarded as confidential information. It should, therefore, be supplied with a good grace to anyone who asks for it in advance so that they can make an informed choice over whether to attend a particular service in the light of their theological conviction in relation to gender and ministry.’

We are grateful for the sympathy and understanding that Sir William has shown to a faithful lay member of the Cathedral’s congregation in the situation in which he has been placed by a change of policy the ‘foreseeable effect’ of which, Sir William points out, ‘is precisely to increase the greater separation that the Dean says he wishes to avoid’.

As Sir William says, ‘The Church of England… has committed itself to enabling the minority to flourish within its life and structures. Denying brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ information which is not intrinsically confidential and which they need in order to act consistently with their theological conviction tends to undermine that commitment.’ 

A generous and Christ-like approach would be to go the extra mile and make such information available without waiting to be asked. That would help to make Wakefield Cathedral a truly inclusive church.

† TONY WAKEFIELD

The Rt Revd Tony Robinson

Chairman

LINDSAY NEWCOMBE

Dr Lindsay Newcombe

Lay Vice-Chairman

IAN McCORMACK

The Revd Ian McCormack

Clerical Vice-Chairman