Synod 2008 - An Open Letter From Our Archbishop
Ascension Day, 2008
Dear Fellow Workers in Christ:
Greetings in the name of the risen and ascended Lord!
The Synod of the Diocese of Athabasca met in regular session April 24-27, 2008. It was a session filled with life, joy, and excitement as we recommitted ourselves to our vision of becoming a more self-sufficient and mission-oriented diocese fully participating in and actively contributing to the life of the Anglican Church of Canada and beyond.
We believe that in order to have a vibrant future we must acknowledge and celebrate the wisdom and courage of those who have gone before. In this spirit, we solidly reaffirmed our commitment to the principles laid out in the Solemn Declaration of 1893 which we regard as one of the foundational documents of our church. It is our hope that others may see what we have done as an encouragement for all of us to reaffirm our roots and our commitment to continue to journey together into the future.
As part of our commitment to full participation in the Anglican Church of Canada, we believe that we are bound to adhere to the decisions of General Synod, not only in the letter but also in the spirit. We understand the decision of General Synod 2007 not to endorse the right of dioceses to bless same gender unions as meaning that it was the mind of General Synod that we should not proceed at this time, especially in light of the overwhelming vote to re-examine the marriage canon.
Therefore, we are dismayed at the decision by certain dioceses to seek to proceed in this direction before General Synod has made a decision concerning the marriage canon. We firmly believe that such actions endanger the unity of the Anglican Church of Canada and seriously undermine our credibility in the wider community.
We are also deeply disturbed by recent legal actions initiated by some dioceses against certain parishes and by some parishes against their dioceses. While we fully recognize that such matters can only be dealt with internally within the affected dioceses, we believe that it is part of our mutual responsibility to urge all, as brothers and sisters in Christ, to seek all other possible solutions before resorting to the civil courts. We believe that such litigation affects us all because again it endangers our unity and undermines our credibility.
We are also concerned that the term ‘in communion’ is being increasingly interpreted in a legalist sense. Our understanding of ‘in communion’ is more relational. We recognize that some feel we must be in agreement with each other before we can come to the Lord’s Table together. We believe, however, that it is by coming to the Lord’s Table together that we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to find the wisdom, courage, and grace to overcome our differences. That is why we, in the Diocese of Athabasca, are committed to being ‘in communion’ with as wide a range of our brothers and sisters in Christ as is possible.
I have taken the rather unusual step of writing this letter because I am concerned that there seems to be some confusion over certain resolutions passed at our recent synod. I am also aware that there are those who for their own particular motives have attempted to ‘spin’ our decisions in directions very different than we intended.
Be assured that the Diocese of Athabasca is as deeply committed as ever to the Anglican Church of Canada and to the Anglican Communion. Please pray for us as we continue our work of discerning and carrying out our Lord Jesus Christ’s mission here in Northern Alberta and be assured of our continued prayers for you and those you work with in your particular part of God’s vineyard.
Yours in Christ’s Service,
++John
Archbishop of Athabasca and Metropolitan of Rupert’s Land