Final Business

Despite the obvious preoccupation with issues of human sexuality over the last three days of General Synod 2007, a significant amount of other business was conducted. Major decisions included the following:

1. By passing Resolution A190, Synod refused to endorse changes in the membership of the Anglican Consultative Council [ACC] proposed by that body in Resolution 4 of its June 19-28, 2005 meeting in Nottingham which would render all Primates and Moderators of the churches of the Anglican Communion additional ex officio members of the Council. In order to become effective, the ACC motion required the support of "two thirds of the Provinces of the Anglican Communion giving their approval of such a change by resolution of the appropriate constitutional body."
2. By referring Resolutions A021 and A022 to the Council of General Synod for further consideration, Synod declined to give first reading to motions authorizing changes in its "Declaration of Principles."
3. By passing Resolution A188, Synod gave approval for the Primate "to initiate discussion with the provinces and dioceses of the Anglican Church of Canada regarding" not only "the possible reform of the provincial organization of the Anglican Church of Canada," but also of its "diocesan organization."
4. By approving an amended version of Resolution A226, Synod directed "the Faith Worship and Ministry Committee to prepare principles and an agenda for [revision of our contemporary language worship texts and the creation of fresh liturgical expressions]." A key amendment moved by Prolocutor-elect Stephen Andrews effectively protected the church from any prospect of Prayer Book revision by replacing the original words "common worship texts revision" with those above in parentheses.
5. By passing Resolutions A210, A212 and A213, Synod endorsed support of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, as well as a series of solidarity measures with Middle Eastern Christians and a range of supportive responses to the UN's Millennium Development goals.
6. By passage of Resolutions A263 and A264, Synod approved recommended changes to the church's Long Term Disability Plan.
7. By giving second reading to Resolution A020 and passing Resolution A040, Synod endorsed amendments to its "Declaration of Principles" and to its Constitution enabling active clergy of any denomination in full communion with the Anglican Church of Canada, who have been licensed to minister in a particular diocese, to be elected to Synod and its various offices.
8. By approving Resolution A240, Synod asked the Council of General Synod to convene a task force "to conduct a detailed study of the role, duties, and functions of the Primate" and "to recommend changes, if any," to the relevant Canon ahead of General Synod 2010.

General Synod 2007 closed June 25 with a memorable Installation Service for its 13th Primate, Archbishop Fred Hiltz, at St. Matthew's Church, Winnipeg, at which Archbishop John Sentamu of York was the preacher.

(Editor's note: This posting completes news coverage of General Synod 2007. "New Vision" will continue to feature periodic updates and analysis on Synod's aftermath here and/or at http://www.churchinfoweb.com/newvision).

The Call for Further Study

As often happens at the end of long meetings, the final wording of every resolution passed was not fully available when General Synod 2007 closed June 25 in Winnipeg. But following further research, "New Vision" has been able to uncover the final terms of Resolution C003, which committed the Anglican Church of Canada to major processes of further study of issues surrounding human sexuality ahead of General Synod 2010.

For the record, this posting thus clarifies exactly what Synod resolved in its last session of debate, including both the original Resolution C003, moved by this blogger and Rev. Ajit John of the Diocese of Toronto, and the final text approved by Synod.

The original motion read as follows:

"BE IT RESOLVED

That in light of the statement of the House of Bishops to members of General Synod, dated April 30, 2007, this General Synod 2007:

1. Ask the Primate to request the Primate's Theological Commission to report in advance of General Synod 2010 on:

• the theological question whether the blessing of same-sex unions is a faithful, Spirit-led development of Christian doctrine;
• Scripture's witness to the integrity of every human person and the question of the sanctity of human relationships.

2. Ask the Primate to request the Anglican Communion Task Force to report in advance of General Synod 2010 on the implications of the blessing of same-sex unions and/or marriage for our church and the Anglican Communion.

3. Support and encourage dioceses to offer the most generous pastoral provision possible within the current teaching of the church to gays and lesbians and their families."

Following amendments moved by Bishop James Cowan of British Columbia and Stephen Hopkins, the unofficial final text of the resolution approved by Synod was changed to:

"BE IT RESOLVED

That in light of the statement of the House of Bishops to members of General Synod, dated April 30, 2007, this General Synod
2007:

1. Ask the Primate to request the Primate's Theological Commission to consult with the dioceses and parishes and to report in advance of General Synod 2010 on:

• The theological question whether the blessing of same-sex unions is a faithful, Spirit-led development of Christian doctrine;
• Scripture's witness to the integrity of every human person and the question of the sanctity of human relationships.

2. Ask the Primate to request the Anglican Communion Task Force to report in advance of General Synod 2010 on the implications of the blessing of same-sex unions and/or marriage for our church and the Anglican Communion.

3. Support and encourage dioceses to offer the most generous pastoral provision possible within the current teaching of the church to gays and lesbians and their families.

4. Request Faith, Worship and Ministry to develop a process to engage the dioceses and parishes of the Anglican Church of Canada in a study of the Christian perspective of human sexuality through the lens of Scripture, reason, tradition and current scientific understanding."

Again for the record, in moving the original version of Resolution C003, this blogger spoke from the following text:

" Dean Peter, Members of Synod,
In moving this motion, I address you as a theological conservative from the only diocese in the Anglican Church of Canada which has yet authorized same-sex blessings in a limited number of parishes. I also speak, therefore, as someone whose personal decision to remain a full participant in the life of our diocese has entailed significant cost.

I have partly chosen to stay because the Diocese of New Westminster has made important provisions that allow me to continue to minister according to the dictates of my conscience. But I have also chosen to stay because I am deeply committed to the Diocese of New Westminster and to the Anglican Church of Canada. So I, like many others of different persuasions, want to make a difference. And the main difference that I want to make following yesterday’s debate is to urge members of Synod to give the question of same-sex blessings further study and deliberation by approving the motion that you now have before you.

There are really three main considerations that encourage me in this view and briefly stated, they are as follows:

1) First, it is surely painfully obvious to any of us who have been listening to one another carefully here at Synod and during yesterday’s votes that we remain deeply divided over the issue of same-sex blessings. And this is not the kind of division that many of our sisters and brothers are ready to lay aside once a decision has been made and return to business as usual. So the reality is, I believe, that we cannot proceed to make concrete decisions without allowing further opportunities for study and dialogue together, as this motion calls for, and striving to find greater communal clarity and consensus. A reference to the Primate’s Theological Commission of the two questions listed under point 1 of Resolution C003 could provide us with some of the resources that we might need to move forward together and the Commission has already indicated that it will be pursuing further study of human sexuality in any case.

2) Second, we have clearly not been making our decisions in a vacuum here at Synod. We have been doing so under the very close scrutiny of the Anglican Communion and its Instruments of Unity. And what they are telling us is that if we decide to act unilaterally on this issue, without further consultation and international cooperation, we may be walking apart from Communion standards. We have different views on this question too, of course, and the situation may change further down the road. But we surely need to give further consideration to the consequences of any future decisions that we might make in terms of our relationships with other Anglicans worldwide. That’s why, members of Synod, we should reconsider not only “the theological question whether the blessing of same-sex unions is a faithful, Spirit-led development of Christian doctrine,” which so divides us internally. But we also need to explore together, I believe, the wider, external reality of “the implications of the blessing of same-sex unions and/or marriage for our church and the Anglican Communion” which has recently become such a pressing concern for us all. So the Anglican Communion Task Force could help us a great deal by addressing this issue in a report ahead of Synod 2010.

3) Finally, I believe that we need to take more time to study this issue, because that is what our House of Bishops, who are charged with upholding the unity, as well as the doctrine of our church, have requested. Whatever the circumstances of its development, we are surely called to take the counsel of the bishops’ April 30 statement very seriously. And what does it ask of us? I think that it primarily calls us to do two things, both of which are reflected in the motion now before you. First, we are to take more time, through study and communal deliberation, to find a greater measure of agreement over this deeply divisive issue. Second, we are to do all in our power to reach out to our lesbian and gay brothers and sisters in Christ and to offer them and their families 'the most generous pastoral provision possible within the current teaching of the church'.”

Back to Basics

After three days of hectic and sometimes emotional debate over the issue of the blessing of same-sex unions, General Synod eventually refused to approve local diocesan authorization of such blessings and committed itself, by passing the final resolution of its last day in session, June 25, to going back to basics and to major processes of ongoing study.

After further amendment, Resolution A186 was eventually passed, June 24, by a narrow majority in the Order of Bishops (21-19) and by a larger vote in favour by clergy and laity (152-97). A186 resolved that "the blessing of same-sex unions is not in conflict with the core doctrine (in the sense of being credal) of the Anglican Church of Canada." But even with the addition of a "conscience clause" amendment, Resolution A187, which would have affirmed "the authority and jurisdiction of any diocesan synod, a) with the concurrence of the diocesan bishop, and b) in a manner which respects the conscience of the incumbent and the will of the parish, to authorize the blessing of committed same sex unions," was defeated in the Order of Bishops (by a contrary vote of 21-19), although approved by narrow margins in the Orders of Laity (78-59) and Clergy (63-53).

Following these contentious debates, Resolution A189 was passed fairly quickly on the morning of June 25, requesting "the Council of General Synod to consider a revision of Canon 21 (On Marriage) including theological rationale to allow marriage of all legally qualified persons and to report back to General Synod 2010." However, although the time-line for such an initial report was just three years, resulting recommendations for change, if any, were obviously at least two General Synods away from the possibility of full implementation.

In a further major development early June 25, it was announced to Synod that another of the potentially most controversial resolutions, B001, scheduled to be moved by Steve Schuh and Bishop Michael Ingham of New Westminster, was being withdrawn. B001 would basically have asked Synod to affirm that "notwithstanding any decisions taken by this its 2007 Synod...the present practice of the Synod and Bishop of the Diocese of New Westminster in authorizing the blessings of covenanted same-sex unions in eight (8) parishes of that diocese shall continue in the Diocese of New Westminster pending further resolution by General Synod."

In a subsequent interview with Douglas Todd of the Vancouver Sun, Bishop Ingham stated that his diocese would be making a decision "in the next few weeks" about how to proceed following the withdrawal. "We'll have to look at what the General Synod said and what its implications are for us," he told Todd. But he also gave assurances that "we remain strongly committed to supporting gay and lesbian members of our church and in the wider society. Our support...is undiminished."

Two resolutions were subsequently passed affirming elements of statements from the Canadian House of Bishops of October 26, 2006 and April 30, 2007. A224 resolved "that this General Synod welcome the statement of the House of Bishops of October, 2006 urging the church to show pastoral understanding and sensitivity to all same-sex couples, including those civilly married, and committing the House to develop pastoral strategies to give effect to the acceptance of gays and lesbians to whom we are already committed by previous General Synod and CoGS resolutions, House of Bishops guidelines, and Lambeth Conference statements."

Synod later effectively closed its debate on issues of human sexuality and same-sex blessings, when it narrowly approved an amended version of original resolution (C003) moved by this blogger and Rev. Ajit John of the Diocese of Toronto. The first three clauses of the final motion resolved, with one amendment noted in parentheses, as follows:

In light of the statement of the House of Bishops to members of General Synod dated April 30, 2007, that this General Synod 2007:

1. Ask the Primate to request the Primate's Theological Commission [to consult with dioceses and parishes] and to report in advance of General Synod 2010 on:

• The theological question whether the blessing of same-sex unions is a faithful, Spirit-led development of Christian doctrine;
• Scripture's witness to the integrity of every human person and the question of the sanctity of human relationships.

2. Ask the Primate to request the Anglican Task Force to report in advance of General Synod 2010 on the implications of the blessing of same-sex unions and/or marriage for our church and the Anglican Communion.

3. Support and encourage dioceses to offer the most generous pastoral provision possible within the current teaching of the church to gays and lesbians and their families.

A fourth clause, added as an amendment moved by Bishop James Cowan of British Columbia, further requested "the Faith, Worship and Ministry Committee to develop a process to engage dioceses and parishes of the Anglican Church of Canada" with a view to a wider study of issues of human sexuality in light of "Scripture, reason and tradition," as well as "current scientific understanding."

The amended Resolution C003 was approved by bishops in a vote of 19 to 17 and by clergy and laity by a somewhat larger margin of 127 to 117. The divisions of June 24 over failed Resolution A187 were thus somewhat reflected in the debate over C003. But the net result was that while rejecting "local option" for dioceses to authorize same-sex blessings, General Synod also called for further time for study and consultation on all the major issues at the heart of current differences.

Thus even whilst affirming the blessing of same-sex unions not to be "in conflict with the core doctrine" of the church, in the very narrow sense of being "credal," Synod effectively left open and committed the church to further study of the more specific and arguably most central theological question, i.e., "whether the blessing of same-sex unions is a faithful, Spirit-led development of Christian doctrine." At the same time, having declined to "walk apart" from Anglican Communion standards, to use a key term in the Windsor Report, by endorsing such blessings, Synod also requested further exploration of the implications of moving forward with them and/or with same-sex marriage for the Anglican Church of Canada and its relationship with the Communion. Finally, in view of the vote against same-sex blessings, neither Resolution A224 nor C003 affirmed any further pastoral provision for gay and lesbian Anglicans beyond what is already permitted by "the current teaching of the church" (C003) or consistent with previous standards and statements (A224).

Two key questions obviously remained in light of Synod's passage of such a complex range of resolutions and decisions: 1), whether the Diocese of New Westminster would move from its existing partial moratorium on authorizing same-sex blessings in any further parishes to imposing a full moratorium throughout the diocese; 2), how the wider Anglican Communion would respond to Synod's deliberations. Both were clearly yet to be resolved at the time of writing. But well-placed commentators saw strong reason to believe that the outcome of General Synod 2007 would not be anything like as unfavourable for the Anglican Church of Canada's standing in the wider Communion as many had feared and/or prognosticated.

Still Pending

General Synod closed its fourth full day, June 23, with the major questions over the blessing of same-sex unions still pending. But it looked increasingly likely that failing a negative vote in the Order of Bishops, "local option" for dioceses to authorize such blessings would be granted.

In a morning vote which followed a strong presentation by Bishop Victoria Matthews of Edmonton, Synod approved an amended version of Resolution A184 that "the blessing of same-sex unions is a matter of doctrine, but is not core doctrine in the sense of being credal." After an extended afternoon devoted to an often heartfelt, but generally respectful dialogue held in "Committee of the Whole," much of the evening session then became preoccupied with procedural questions. The net result was that proposed motion A185 that Resolutions A186 and A187 "be deemed to have been carried" only by a 60% majority of "the members of each Order present and voting" was defeated.

The key resolutions that "the blessing of same-sex unions is not in conflict with the core doctrine of The Anglican Church of Canada" (A186, as amended) and that "this General Synod affirm the authority and jurisdiction of any diocesan synod, with the concurrence of its bishop, to authorize the blessing of committed same sex unions" (A187) thus required only a straight 50% majority to pass on resumption of debate, June 24.

An earlier attempt to advance consideration of an attempted "consensus" resolution moved by this blogger and the Rev. Ajit John of the Diocese of Toronto ahead of debate on A185-7 failed to attract the necessary 66% majorities in the Orders of Bishops and Clergy and Laity that it required to pass. The subsequent debate on "local option" and related issues was often contentious and threatened to be deeply divisive in the event, as seemed quite possible at the time of writing, that the blessing of same-sex unions were approved. With an apparent majority in favour of such action among clergy and laity, much seemed to depend on whether Canadian bishops would exercise restraint in the interests of preserving a maximum degree of unity not only within the Anglican Church of Canada, but within the Anglican Communion as a whole.

A New Primate

Following a close election which extended to five ballots, Bishop Fred Hiltz of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, 53, was elected to become the 13th Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, June 22. The election, which was held in Winnipeg's historic Holy Trinity Church, was closely contested between Bishops Hiltz and Victoria Matthews of Edmonton, who led the voting in the Order of Clergy through the first four ballots.

After the withdrawal of Bishops George Bruce of Ontario and Bruce Howe of Huron, who failed to attract 10% of support in either the Order of Clergy or Laity in the second ballot, Bishops Hiltz and Matthews obtained exactly the same number of votes in the third ballot (126), with the former winning a majority among laity and the latter achieving the same among clergy. Such pluralities were maintained on the fourth ballot and had they done so on the fifth, the decision would have been referred to the Order of Bishops meeting separately at the nearby Radisson Hotel. But in the end, the bishops were never called upon to make a decision, with final tallies yielding a slim majority of 60 to 56 for Bishop Hiltz in the Order of Clergy and a larger plurality of 81 to 56 in the Order of Laity.

In a gracious acceptance speech to delegates, the Primate-elect spoke of his desire to work to build and maintain the unity of the Anglican Church of Canada. He also cited Isaiah 61:1-2 and its fulfilment in Luke 4:18-21 through the ministry of Christ as a model for his primatial ministry.

Bishop Hiltz, whose installation was scheduled for June 25, was first consecrated a suffragan bishop in 1995, becoming Diocesan of Nova Scotia and PEI in 2002. He was ordained priest in 1978, serving in a variety of parishes in Nova Scotia prior to his episcopal consecration. Notable ministries in the wider church have included his position as Anglican Co-Chair of the Anglican-Lutheran International Commision since 2006.

Unlike Bishop Matthews, Bishop Hiltz was not known for his theological conservativism prior to his election. At a time of such obvious doctrinal (and electoral) division, a major challenge for the new Primate could thus be the extent to which he will prove practically willing and able to reach out to all parts of the church, including conservatives, in keeping with Synod's theme of "drawing the circle wide."

Responding to Windsor

Following quite a contentious debate, which ostensibly provided something of a preview of forthcoming discussions on same-sex blessings scheduled for June 23, General Synod delegates voted to approve, June 21, a motion (A183) moved by Bishop Colin Johnson and Archdeacon Peter Fenty of Toronto to "endorse the report of the Windsor Report Response Group, as adopted by the Council of General Synod (March 2007)" and to forward the following statement "to the Anglican Communion Office and the Provinces of the Anglican Communion":

"The Anglican Church of Canada:

1. reaffirms its commitment to full membership and participation in the life, witness and structures of the Anglican Communion;
2. reaffirms its commitment to the Lambeth Quadrilateral, as received by our church in 1893;
3. expresses its desire and readiness to continue our participation in the ongoing life of the Communion through partnerships and visits, theological and biblical study, in order to foster Communion relationships, including the listening process and the development and possible adoption of an Anglican covenant;
4. reaffirms its mutual responsibility and interdependence with our Anglican sisters and brothers in furthering the mission of the church;
5. notes that, in response to the Windsor Report, the Diocese of New Westminster expressed regret, and the House of Bishops effected a moratorium on the blessing of same-sex unions;
6. calls upon those archbishops and other bishops who believe that it is their conscientious duty to intervene in Provinces, dioceses and parishes other than their own to implement paragraph 155 of the Windsor Report and to seek an accommodation with the bishops of the dioceses whose parishes they have taken into their own care; and
7. commits itself to participation in the Listening Process and to share with member churches of the Communion the study of human sexuality which continues to take place, in the light of Scripture, tradition and reason."

The motion was only passed after an amendment moved by theological conservatives was defeated by a large majority. The latter would have added to point 1 of the above by committing "to adhere to the principles and provisions of The Windsor Report" through "a. upholding Lambeth [1998] Resolution 1:10 as the current standard of Anglican teaching on the matter; and b. upholding a moratorium on the blessing of same-sex unions." In a special provision clearly directed against the continuation of the blessing of same-sex unions in the Diocese of New Westminster, the amendment would also have added a further provision urging "all dioceses, notwithstanding the previous practice of any diocese, to comply with the moratorium."

Tensions ran high in the course of the debate on Resolution A183, which did not augur well for the remaining days of Synod. On a more conciliatory and encouraging note for theological conservatives, Dr. Stephen Andrews, President and Vice-chancellor of the Anglican Thorneloe University in Sudbury, Ontario, was elected prolocutor of General Synod. Andrews, who joined Thorneloe in 2001, was previously Dean of Saskatchewan and pursued theological training at the evangelical colleges, Wycliffe in Toronto and Regent in Vancouver. A member of the Primate's Theological Commission responsible for the St. Michael Report, he was also one of more than 30 theologians, including this blogger, who issued a letter to Synod members rejecting the Council of General Synod motions that would affirm, among other things, that "that this General Synod resolves that the blessing of same-sex unions is consistent with the core doctrine of The Anglican Church of Canada" (A186), as well as "the authority and jurisdiction of any diocesan synod, with the concurrence of its bishop, to authorize the blessing of committed same sex unions" (A187 - "local option").

(Editor's Note: The wording of the last paragraph above was slightly revised June 23 in light of informal comments received.)

Improving the Environment

"A graciously magnanimous church has a responsibility to both affirm moral standards and to ensure that its rules don't seem rigorous to the point of inhumanity," advised Archbishop John Sentamu of York in his address to General Synod, June 20. "Personally, I take an orthodox view on human sexuality," he continued, and because orthodoxy was "transformative," he was "persuaded that our sexual affections can no more define who we are than our tribe, ethnicity or nationality." But Archbishop Sentamu also noted that "I am driven to exasperation when Christians don't disagree well and Christianly."

The Archbishop of York's address was one of the highlights of a first full day during which General Synod also conducted a significant amount of business, including:

• receiving consolidated financial statements, which showed an operating deficit of nearly $500,000 for 2006 (compared with a shortfall of just over $1.1 million the previous year), largely as result of losses incurred by the Anglican Book Centre, which is now managed by the Lutheran publisher Augsburg Fortress.
• affirming continued financial support for the 11 church groups (10 dioceses plus the Anglican Parishes of the Central Interior) comprising the Council of the North at no less than current levels of roughly $2.4 million in 2006.
• approving a series of canonical changes affecting pension and other benefit plans, making limited changes in clergy licensing procedures, and allowing non-Anglicans in full communion with the Anglican Church of Canada to sit on national committees.
• merging the national Partners in Mission and Ecojustice committees into one with the added mandate of evangelism.

The two last sessions of June 20 were primarily devoted to in camera "conversations" on the topics of The Windsor Report, The St. Michael Report and same-sex blessings, finance and governance issues.

June 22 centred on morning and afternoon joint meetings with members of the General Convention of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Canada, focusing on environmental themes. Although skilfully interwoven in the context of a creative eucharistic liturgy, some of the content of these sessions was disappointing for theological conservatives. Especially offensive to some participants was the keynote address by Dr Sallie McFague of Vancouver School of Theology which while helpfully encouraging a more holistic view of environmental stewardship, was seen as unfairly critical of evangelical theologies of salvation.

The afternoon session ended with a memorable ceremony at which representatives from nine Canadian church organizations, including the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, as well as Anglicans and Evangelical Lutherans, publicly renewed their commitment to the covenant, A New Covenant: Towards the Constitutional Recognition and Protection of Aboriginal Self-Government in Canada. This document, which was first presented 20 years ago, calls upon the Canadian government to safeguard and enforce the rights of first nations, including their entitlement to self-determination with "an adequate land base."

(Editor's note: The above posting was revised June 22 to include a further update, as well as in light of comments received.)

Squaring the Circle

The 38th General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada formally opened with a service of Eucharist at the historic St. John's Cathedral, Winnipeg on the evening of June 19, at which retiring Primate Archbishop Andrew Hutchison gave his Presidential Address in place of a sermon. The time-frame for the service, which was already long on the pomp and pageantry of such occasions, was extended by the prelude of a first nations "smudging" ceremony, which was conducted by native elder Linda Bloom outside the Cathedral before the opening procession.

In his address, Archbishop Hutchison appealed to the central theme of General Synod, based on a song by Bishop Gordon Light of the Anglican Parishes of the Central Interior [of B.C.], "Draw the Circle Wide. Draw It Wider Still!" Much of what he said was a fairly predictable summary of the previous three years' activities. But despite his role as "pastor for the whole Church," which he described as "an awesome challenge," the archbishop could not resist commenting on the most contentious issue that Synod seemed likely to face -whether or not to authorize local dioceses to make their own decisions about the blessing of same-sex unions. He noted, for example, that "careful listening using the Anglican approach of Scripture, Tradition and Reason" would "be helpful." But he also observed, rather politically, that "the Church of England maintains full communion with the Church in Sweden...and with the Old Catholic Church in Europe" despite the fact that "both churches have authorized public rites of blessing for same-sex couples."

The main debate on same-sex blessings was scheduled for Saturday, June 23 at press-time, with key discussions on the Canadian churches' responses to both The Windsor Report and The St. Michael Report falling earlier in the week. The other major item on the agenda for General Synod was the election of new Primate on June 22.

With seven days of meetings running from 6.30 A.M. to 9.00 P.M., the patience and stamina of delegates seemed likely to be tested to the maximum. With a strictly controlled agenda and the rather directive stance taken by the Council of General Synod in presenting its own motions on some of the most contentious issues, it was also questionable how much time and opportunity delegates would ultimately have to work through the implications of very significant decisions.

The reality meanwhile remained that if General Synod decided, as its leadership plainly intended, to "draw the circle" wide by changing official policy on issues of human sexuality, the whole Canadian church would be faced with a further and potentially much more difficult challenge. How to "square the circle" of its increasingly strained relations with the wider Anglican Communion, if it further departed from the official Communion standards and expectations so clearly expressed in The Windsor Report and elsewhere?