Bishop fears Anglican Covenant will diminish Church autonomy

by Jennifer Gold
Sunday, June 8, 2008

The Bishop of Cork in the Church of Ireland says new proposals designed to prevent the Anglican Communion falling apart will necessitate changes in the way that the Archbishop of Canterbury is appointed.

Speaking at his Diocesan Synod for Cork, Cloyne and Ross on Saturday, Bishop Paul Colton referred to discussions taking place throughout the Communion on the proposed Anglican Covenant, due to be discussed at next month’s Lambeth Conference, the 10-yearly gathering of bishops within the Communion.

The Anglican Covenant has been put together in an effort to prevent a split in the Anglican Communion of churches, primarily over the issue of homosexual ordinations and blessings. The Covenant seeks to balance the autonomy of the 38 provinces with the unity of the Communion and asks provinces for their voluntary commitment to a process of joined-up deliberation whenever disputes occur over contentious issues. the rest