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News
General Synod stimulates debate
The General Synod has examined various issues relating to conducting their business including a Bill which, if passed, will provide for the General Synod of the Church of Ireland, Diocesan Synods of the Church of Ireland, and General Vestry meetings of the Church of Ireland to have the flexibility to meet electronically rather than, or as well as, in person. It was explained that the Bill was aimed to give flexibility to how people conduct their business in the future, not just at General Synod level, but at Diocesan Synod and Easter General Vestry levels.
Another Bill receiving its first two readings aims to ensure that those who act as parochial nominators are part of the parish for which they are elected as parochial nominators. Currently, in theory, the Constitution allows for a member of one parish to be a parochial nominator of another parish. Given the importance of the role of a nominator, it is considered appropriate that a parochial nominator in invested enough in the parish to be a registered vestry member.
A motion calling on General Synod to recognise that conditions now exist for the implementation of arrangements providing for interchangeability of ministry with the Moravian Church was proposed at Synod. Proposed by Bishop Michael Burrows, the motion follows from a resolution of Synod in 2015 and is in accordance with an agreement made between representatives of the Church of Ireland and the Moravian Province of GB and Ireland and endorsed by the House of Bishops in November 2021.
The Church’s Liturgical Advisory Committee also proposed a motion on the use of liturgies for the Season of Creation. The motion calls on General Synod to recognise that the Season of Creation exists de facto within the liturgical calendar on the Sundays from September 1 to October 1 and therefore commend the use of the LAC liturgies on this subject during this time and at other appropriate times.
The second day of the General Synod, Thursday, received the report of the Representative Church Body and among those speaking on it was one representative who asked the RB to acknowledge the importance of the Irish language in some areas where church services are conducted in Irish. Bishop Michael Burrows insisted that the Irish language should not be politicised.
Another speaker called on the Representative Body to organise and time important meetings of committees with more flexibility to allow laity who work having to avoid taking holidays to attend these.
The Council of Mission report was adopted and their new video, Radiant Faith, part of their Five Marks of Mission, was shown in the conference hall in the Assembly Buildings, Belfast.