Anglican Panel of Reference Renews Mandate in London Meeting
The second plenary meeting of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Panel of Reference has been held at Saint Andrew’s House in London, 9-12 May 2006.
Posted: Monday, May 15 , 2006

The second plenary meeting of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Panel of Reference has been held at Saint Andrew’s House in London, 9-12 May 2006. The Panel announced that it has decided to renew its procedures, and clarify any misunderstanding there may be of the mandate it had received from the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Easing into its meeting, the Panel first sought to consider the progress made so far. It highlighted the fact that since the Panel’s first meeting ten months ago, it has received three references from Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury.

In the Panel’s first communiqué it stated that speed of response was an important factor, and that it would normally seek to offer responses to the Church of England head within six months of reference. Hence, reviewing progress has been put as a core priority by the Panel.

The Panel’s first reference came from the Diocese of Forth Worth in the Episcopal Church USA (ECUSA). The Diocese does not ordain women to the priesthood, and has appealed to the Archbishop of Canterbury on the grounds that it is in serious theological dispute with the Episcopal Church, which at its 72nd General Convention in 1997 passed canons to make the ordination of women mandatory, explains the Anglican Communion news service. the rest