Canadian bishops won’t recommend adoption of Covenant

(Staff)  The Canadian House of Bishops has recommended that the proposed Anglican Communion Covenant be discussed at General Synod next June in Halifax but they would not go so far as to recommend that it be adopted. The bishops, who met in Montreal January 5-7, argued that they lacked the “juridical authority” to recommend the adoption of the document. Provinces in the global Anglican Communion are being asked to consider adopting the Covenant, a final draft of which was made available last December. Generally speaking, most theologically conservative bishops approve of the Covenant while most theologically liberal ones are uncomfortable with it, especially section four which deals with dispute resolution.

Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams has commented that the Covenant is not a constitution “and it’s certainly not going to be a penal code for punishing people who don’t comply.”

An American analyst, Dr. Leander Harding of Trinity School for Ministry, has called the Anglican Covenant “a clear process for handling disputes” and “the best hope for maintaining the faith, order and mission of the worldwide Anglican Communion.” He warned, however, that “it could be three years before this version of the Covenant is adopted by a majority of provinces. Then the process for dispute settlement in section four would come into play. Any action under these provisions would likely take several more years. The possibility of acceptance as members of the Anglican Communion by dioceses whose provinces opt out of the Covenant would open after that. It could be five to seven years before the Anglican Communion as such can provide traditionalist dioceses in North America a way of differentiating themselves from the actions of their provinces and establishing their communion identity.”

Harding continued, “Without some credible short-term strategy, reliance on the Covenant process alone as an adequate response to the current crisis creates an environment in which the Covenant itself, as good as it may be, may become increasingly irrelevant….” He urges that “action on disputes be taken within a required time period. I also believe that the adoption process should be decoupled from the meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council and proceed independently and as quickly as possible.”

Suspension delays euthanasia bill

The prorogation or suspension of parliament will delay the vote on Bill C-384 to legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide in Canada. Bloc MP Francine Lalonde has traded backwards three times to delay the second hour of debate and vote on her private member’s bill. Lalonde is trying to create a national debate on the issue of euthanasia. Prime Minister Harper has now suspended parliament until March 3 reportedly to allow Canadians to concentrate on the Winter Olympics that will be in Vancouver, but more likely he is preparing his government for an election in May or June 2010. The earliest that C-384 will be voted on is March 17 or 24.