Christchurch Bishop Victoria Matthews told delegates to the ACC-15 meeting in Holy Trinity Cathedral that Anglicans must face the hard facts about the covenant and asked, "Will it keep us together safely?"
"I have often thought that the document people discuss and the actual Anglican covenant are two different documents. The document under discussion is unrecognizable as the Anglican Covenant."
Matthews likened the "hard decisions" provinces would have to make are like unto those of the Anglican Communion of Churches. "The question behind the Covenant is; what is the best way? Is there a way that will keep us together safely? What is our deepest fear when we consider decision-making processes?"
"I believe the original idea to allow the Anglican Covenant that there was a desire to allow the Anglican Communion to be a safe place for conversation and the sharing of new ideas. The actual document of the Anglican Covenant does not achieve that for all the churches of the Anglican Communion and that is why some churches have declined to adopt it."
Matthews said that in the wide-ranging conversations about the Covenant there are those who say it is punitive, and those who say it has no teeth. Both those comments tell me that it is not yet perceived as a truly safe way in which to encounter one another. "Remember most of the Covenant reminds us who we are in Christ."
"I invite you to consider why it is for some, something to be feared, and for others a sign of hope. What are able to learn from the process thus far?"
"'Some have said no to adopting it. At the core of God's Covenant is 'I will be your God and you will be my people.'"
Section IV is the sticking point in the acceptance of the covenant by liberal and revisionist provinces and the failure to enforce it by conservative provinces.
The following is a covenant status update.
A document handed out today shows that nine provinces have made a final decision on the covenant with one rejecting the covenant, six accepting it as is and two making modifications as part of their acceptance.
Those in the so-called Category A that have approved the convent are Ireland, Mexico, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Southern Cone of America, and the West Indies. In addition, according to the document, South East Asia adopted the covenant with an added preamble of its own and the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia has subscribed to the covenant's first three sections but said it cannot adopt section 4, which outlines a process for resolving disputes.
Also in Category A, is the Scottish Episcopal Church, which has refused to adopt the covenant.
The U.S.-based Episcopal Church is one of eight provinces sorted into Category B, which is described as including provinces that have made "partial decisions" about the covenant. However US Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori recently told members of the Diocese of Washington that the covenant has "passed its shelf life."
At the General Convention in July, the Episcopal Church, via Resolution B005, "declined to take a position" on the covenant. Convention also passed Resolution D008, which pledged that the Episcopal Church would "maintain and reinforce strong links across the world-wide Anglican Communion committing itself to continued participation in the wider councils of the Anglican Communion" and "deepen its involvement with communion ministries and networks."
The other provinces in Category B (and a summary of their actions) are Australia (sent to dioceses for study), Canada (sent to dioceses for study, also seeking theological, ecclesiastical, legal and constitutional implications of action to adopt or not), England (majority of its dioceses voted covenant down, possible consideration of "following motions"), Korea (acknowledged sections 1-3 as "excellent and useful" with decision postponed for further consideration of Section 4), Melanesia (reports having no difficulties with first three sections, consideration deferred until 2014 General Synod), Southern Africa (adopted pending ratification at next synod meeting later this year), and Wales (requested clarification from ACC15 on covenant status and process in light of England's position).
There is one province assigned to Category C - the Episcopal Church in the Philippines. The summary document notes that the Anglican Communion Office "is seeking clarification" of a report in the "Philippine Episcopalian" newsletter that said the province's Council of Bishops had rejected the covenant.
At this ACC-15 there are a number of ecumenical participants. They include six ecumenical clerics who are participating in the Anglican Consultative Council's meeting. They are the Rev. Robert Gribben of Australia, representing the World Methodist Council; the Rev. Dong-Sung Kim of Geneva, representing the World Council of Churches; Monsignor Mark Langham of Rome, representing the Roman Catholic Church; the Rev. Paul Patitsas of New Zealand, representing the Ecumenical Patriarchate (Orthodox); the Rt. Rev. Lok Oi Peng of Malaysia, representing the Lutheran World Federation; and the Rt. Rev. Dirk Jan Schoon of the Netherlands, representing the Old Catholic Union of the Churches of Utrecht.
Resolutions committee named
Episcopal Church ACC member Josephine Hicks is one of four people on ACC-15's resolutions committee.
The other members are Philippa Amable from the Church of the Province of West Africa, John Stuart of the Scottish Episcopal Church and Garth Blake of the Anglican Church of Australia.
The ACC today begin to consider resolutions from its networks, members and other communion organizations.