Reporting the General Synod in ‘The Church of Ireland Gazette’

Patsy McGarry of ‘The Irish Times’ (left) and Canon Patrick Comerford

‘The Church of Ireland Gazette’ this weekend (20 May 2016) carries extensive reports from the General Synod of the Church of Ireland, which took place in the Royal Marine Hotel, Dun Laoghaire, last week, including this photograph on p 8 and this full page report on p 5:

1916 commemorations and plight of refugees
highlighted at Standing Committee debate

The centenary commemorations for the 1916 anniversaries, including the Easter Rising and the Battle of the Somme, and the Church’s response to the refugee crisis, emerged as the two principal concerns during the debate on the report of the Standing Committee.

“The Church of Ireland, as it straddles two political jurisdictions and holds together people of differing political viewpoints in its membership, has a very valuable role to play here,” Archdeacon Adrian Wilkinson (Cork, Cloyne and Ross) told the General Synod.

Archdeacon Wilkinson, who was proposing the report, said “the year 1916 is one etched in the consciousness of all Irish people, whatever their political views. For some, it is inextricably linked to the Battle of the Somme when on the 1st July, the first day of that battle, there were 5,500 casualties from the 36th Ulster Division. Later that year, in a continuation of the same battle, the 16th Irish Division, made up largely of men from the three other provinces, had 4,300 casualties. In the horror of war, men from both traditions in this island, fought supported one another, suffered and died together.”

Referring to the Easter Rising in 1916, he described the way it has been commemorated in schools throughout the Republic, and the national events and many local initiatives organised “to contribute to reflection, discussion, education, debate and commemoration over the past year.”

Turning to the special liturgy written to mark the centenary of the Easter Rising, he said: “The Bidding Prayer included in that service states that ‘in remembering the events of 100 years ago, we the Church are called to give voice to shared suffering, silenced and untold stories, the many and nuanced narratives, bravery and heroism, and commitment to ideals that were underpinned by shared and common aspirations’.”

He predicted “considerable challenges lie ahead” with the anniversaries of events during the Irish War of Independence.”

Pauline High (Connor), who seconded the report, highlighted the work of the Bishops’ Appeal Advisory Committee.

She told synod there had been a general increase in giving for 2015. “However, with an ever increasing seriousness of the current refugee crisis and numerous disasters and emergency appeals requiring our attention there is always room for improvement.”

Bishop Patrick Rooke (Tuam, Killala and Achonry), Chair of Bishops’ Appeal Fund, described the current refugee situation, particularly in the Republic of Ireland, and also spoke of the need for a committee to address urgent needs in Ireland, such as recent floodings.

He pointed to a recent report in the Church of Ireland Gazette by Lydia Monds, the education officer of the Bishops’ Appeal, and her description of offers of accommodation and practical work to help with the refugee crisis in Ireland.

Bishop Rooke spoke of how many refugees arrive psychologically traumatised. They face a slow process, and this has been complicated by delays in forming a new government in the Republic of Ireland, and debates about the Turkey agreement, he said.

But he was encouraged by much that is happening behind the scenes. He reminded Synod that Church groups will be asked to provide hospitality and welcome, and the responses will determine success or failure of the programme.

There are 4,500 asylum seekers in direct provision centres, he said, but they have nowhere else to go.

“The issues are already staring us in the face,” he said. The Government needs to be pressed into action to help asylum seekers, migrants and refugees.

Dean Katharine Poulton (Ossory) spoke of a project in the Diocese of Cashel, Ferns and Ossory to provide wellington boots and shoes for people who had arrived in Co Waterford and who would otherwise not have been able to go for walks on the beach.

She also praised the value of art therapy projects and efforts to the new arrivals to buy clothing. “Think on a local small level,” she said. “Reach out through those who are on the ground.”

Bishop Ken Good (Derry and Raphoe) said 20,000 Syrian refugees are expected to arrive in UK over the next five years. The beginnings have been very, very small, with two small groups of about 50 or so people in each group arriving in Northern Ireland recently.

He described the support offered in pilot projects that he hoped could be replicated throughout Northern Ireland.

Canon Horace McKinley (Dublin) pointed out that many of the reports on refugees concentrate on the crises in Europe and the Middle East. But he also pointed to the high numbers of refugees throughout Africa, Asia and Latin America, and said this is a global problem that is here and is not going to go away.

The Rev Stephen Neill (Killaloe) objected to way same-sex relations were in danger of continuing to be treated as criminal when they are spoken of in the same bracket as trafficking, sexual abuse and domestic violence. This debate re-emerged later in the synod during the debate on the report of Select Commission on Human Sexuality in the Context of Human Belief.

In seconding the report, Mrs High also spoke of the work of the Northern Ireland Community Relations Working Group which keeps a watching brief on community relations issues in Northern Ireland. “At times there are endless opportunities for us to enter the public arena and speak into difficult and often inflammatory situations, to bring God’s grace and love to a hurting world.”

Later, Ken Gibson (Connor) spoke of the effect of continuing loyalist violence.

The Standing Committee report ran to 87 pages. Bishop Harold Miller (Down and Dromore) pointed out that most of the report was taken up with appendices, including reports on the Priorities Fund and the Church and Society Commission, as well as charity legislation, stipends and pensions.

In his opening speech, Archdeacon Wilkinson paid tribute to Mrs Eithne Harkness, who stood down as one of the honorary secretaries in June 2015, the new honorary secretary, Mr Ken Gibson, the synod office, Mr Garret Casey, who resigned in September 2015, and his successor, Dr Catherine Smyth.

A day in Dun Laoghaire at the General Synod

In Saint Paul’s Church, Glenageary, at the Eucharist marking the opening of the General Synod of the Church of Ireland (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2016)

Patrick Comerford

I spent all day yesterday [12 May 2016] at the first day of the General Synod of the Church of Ireland in the Royal Marine Hotel in Dun Laoghaire.

As a member of the chapter and the board of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, I had a special interest in a Bill that enables the cathedral board to be identified as the trustee body of the cathedral, in line with requirements of the Charities Act 2009.

The Dean and Chapter of the Cathedral have approved an amendment – of the Statute of General Synod, Chapter I of 1902 – which brings its regulation into line with other cathedrals of the Church of Ireland.

Proposing the Bill, Archdeacon Ricky Rountree explained that it seeks to deal with an anomaly in the governance statute of the General Synod regarding Christ Church Cathedral.

“The wording of the 1902 Statute would seem to suggest that the governing body of the Cathedral is the Dean and Chapter – while the day-to-day running of the cathedral by the board is a delegated task from the chapter. This has not caused any great difficulty up until now and the relationship between the Dean and Chapter and the Board of the Cathedral has not caused any practical difficulties. However, in the light of the new charity legislation of 2009 there is a need for clarity in the legal definition regarding these two bodies and their role in the governance of the Cathedral,” the Archdeacon of Glendalough explained.

The Bill passed its first and second stages yesterday and will come before Synod again tomorrow [14 May 2016] for its final stage. If it is passed then, the Bill means members of the board can become trustees of the cathedral in the same way as members of a Select Vestry are the trustees of a parish.

I was also asked to report for the Church of Ireland Gazette on the report of Standing Committee, which was presented to General Synod in the afternoon.

Presenting the report, Archdeacon Adrian Wilkinson of Cork spoke of the varied and many commemorations of the Easter 1916 Rising that have taken place throughout Ireland this year. He also spoke of the support the Bishops’ Appeal Fund has given to projects that help Syrian refugees in the Middle East and Europe and also responses to emergencies in Nepal and the Central African Republic.

Archdeacon Wilkinson also paid tribute to Mrs Ethne Harkness who stood down as one of the Honorary Secretaries of the General Synod last year.

During the debate on the report, Bishop Patrick Rooke, who chairs the Bishops’ Appeal, thanked parishes and dioceses across the Church for their contribution to Bishops’ Appeal. In the past year he said Bishops’ Appeal had been drawn into relief and support of issues closer to home with flooding and the refugee situation, he said.

Referring to the refugee situation in the Republic of Ireland, he said the Bishops’ Appeal education officer, Lydia Monds, has written two articles on how people can give practical help.

He gave information on what happens to refugees when they arrive in Ireland. He said the taskforce envisages that church groups and other community groups will be asked to get involved in welcoming refugees in coming months. We need to press the new government into doubling its efforts on behalf of migrants, refugees and those who have gained refugee status, he concluded.

Dean Catherine Poulton of Kilkenny, a member of the refugee working group, said that we often wondered what parishes could do. She said they found that people were coming from the camps to stay in an hotel in Co Waterford for about 12 weeks. She said over Lent they had sought donations to help the people who arrived in Waterford with nothing. The money goes to buy vouchers, to fund art therapy projects. They also sought donations of shoes and wellingtons. She urged people who find refugees are arriving in their areas to think small and locally and ask people on the ground what they can do to help.

Bishop Ken Good (Derry and Raphoe), who chairs the Northern Ireland sub-group, said the numbers arriving in Northern Ireland are small. He outlined the UK refugee process. He said that when they arrive their identity is protected and therefore it has been difficult for the church to find a way in to assist. He said that 2,000 refugees would come to Northern Ireland and he hoped it would then become apparent how churches can become involved.

My former rector, Canon Horace McKinley, said that the UNHCR website revealed that each day 42,500 new people in the world become refugees, asylum seekers or displaced persons. He said that good social researchers were saying that the refugee crisis and movement of people is a crisis that is here to stay.

One of my tasks at General Synod once again is to be one of the hosts to the Ecumenical Guests. This year they include the Very Revd Dr Norman Hamilton, a former Moderator of the Presbyterian Church and the Revd Brian Anderson, President of the Methodist Church.

I am a member of the Commission for Christian Unity and Dialogue, so was happy to be present in the afternoon when the synod passed a motion endorsing the Church of Ireland’s response to the World Council of Churches Document The Church: Towards a Common Vision.

The motion in the name of the Honorary Secretaries asked General Synod to adopt the Church of Ireland’s response, as endorsed by the Commission for Christian Unity and Dialogue and received by Standing Committee. The document was produced by the World Council of Churches’ Faith and Order Commission (Faith and Order Paper No 214).

The Report of the Select Committee on Human Sexuality in the Context of Christian Belief was presented to General Synod by the Dean of Belfast, the Very Revd John Mann, who chairs the committee.

He outlined the work of the Select Committee over the past 2½ years and its plans for the next year and a half.

Earlier, the Revd Stephen Neill (Killaloe) spoke about the Select Committee’s report and the topics under its remit. He said he is concerned at the way equates further issues, including domestic abuse, human trafficking and violence, with same-sex issues. He urged the church not to recriminalise people who are same-sex attracted by associating them with sexual abuse and human trafficking and other criminal matters.

I am going to miss the General Synod debates today because of another appointment. The synod concludes tomorrow (Saturday).

With my former ‘Irish Times’ colleague, Patsy McGarry, at the General Synod in Dun Laoghaire (Photograph: David Wynne, 2016)

In Dun Laoghaire for the opening of the Church of Ireland General Synod

A bandstand on the East Pier, Dun Laoghaire … the General Synod of the Church of Ireland is meeting in Dun Laoghaire for three days (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2016)

Patrick Comerford

I am in Dun Laoghaire this morning [12 May 2016] for the opening of the General Synod of the Church of Ireland which is meeting for three days in the Royal Marine Hotel, Dun Laoghaire.

During my time as a member of the General Synod, we have met in a variety of locations throughout Ireland, including Armagh, Belfast, Dublin (Christ Church Cathedral, the RDS Ballsbridge and Stllorgan), Galway and Kilkenny. But this is the first time we have met in Dun Laoghaire.

In addition to the two major reports, from the Standing Committee and the Representative Church Body, the Synod is also considering issues relating to liturgy, mission and ministry, human sexuality, Anglican, ecumenical and interfaith relations, and the covenant with the Methodist Church.

The Synod Eucharist is being celebrated at 10 am this morning in Saint Paul’s Church, Glenageary, where the preacher is the Right Revd Patrick Rooke, Bishop of Tuam, Killala and Achonry.

The Synod is due to begin in the conference centre at the Royal Marine Hotel at 12 noon with the Archbishop of Armagh’s Presidential Address, and begins at 10 am on Friday and Saturday.

Each morning, the Synod begins with a short act of worship, which is being led this year by the Right Revd Kenneth Kearon, Bishop of Limerick and Killaloe.

I am going to miss the meeting of General Synod tomorrow [Friday], which begins with the Council for Mission hosting a Mission Breakfast in Christ Church Parochial Hall, Dun Laoghaire, when the speaker is Ms Lydia Monds, Education Adviser to the Bishops’ Appeal.

At lunchtime tomorrow, in the Methodist Church, Northumberland Road, Changing Attitude Ireland is hosting a meeting at which the speaker is Jayne Ozanne. She is a member of the General Synod of the Church of England, and has been modelling “good disagreement” between those who differ on issues of human sexuality. Friday’s Synod day ends with a concert of choral and organ music in Saint Paul’s Church, Glenageary, at 7.30 pm.

General Synod members were expecting that the “big issue” this year would be the recommendations of the Commission on Episcopal Ministry and Structures which suggested changes in the method of electing bishops and alterations to diocesan boundaries. This proposal would have reduced the number of bishops and dioceses, in due course, from 12 to 11.

However, the Commission announced last week [5 May 2016] that it intends to withdraw this Bill to alter provincial and diocesan boundaries.

The Bill proposed a union between the dioceses of Tuam and Killala and Limerick and Killaloe, with Achonry joining with Kilmore, Elphin and Ardagh, and six parish units being moved from Dublin and Glendalough to Meath and Kildare. No boundary changes were to come into effect until after the General Synod meeting in 2017.

If passed, the Bill would have resulted in a church of 11 dioceses rather than 12, six in the Province of Armagh and five in the Province of Dublin.

Alongside this Bill, the commission is making recommendations on episcopal election procedures in a separate Bill.

Announcing the withdrawal of the Bill on redrawing diocesan boundaries, a statement said: “After much heart-searching and consideration of all the implications … it is our judgment that the time, the circumstances and the atmosphere are not right for this to be presented and discussed as we envisaged. It is not in the best interests of the church to have divisive and acrimonious debate and it has never been our wish to engage in confrontational argument, attacking and defending, ‘winners’ on one side and ‘losers’ on the other.”

The commission members now hope to put forward a Motion “encouraging those most likely to be directly involved to work together in considering how these proposals could be taken forward by agreement in their respective dioceses for their mutual benefit and to meet the needs of the wider church.” The outcome of these deliberations would be reported to the General Synod next year [2017].

One of my tasks at General Synod again this year is to act as one of the hosts for our ecumenical guests, and I have also been asked to contribute to the reports of General Synod debates in the Church of Ireland Gazette.

A mural by the railway lines in Dun Laoghaire (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2016)