ACC seeks equal but ‘non-voting’ membership at primates’ meeting

Kingston, Jamaica
The Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) on May 12 approved a resolution asking the primates of the Anglican Communion to include “an equal number” of non-primatial members of the joint standing committee as non-voting participants in the primates’ meeting.

The primates’ meeting is represented by four primatial members of the standing committee as full members of the ACC.

Archbishop Barry Morgan, primate of the Church in Wales, who is a primatial delegate to the ACC, said that while he is not sure how the primates will receive the request, it should only be seen as a way “to create greater understanding” between the two bodies, which are part of the so-called four instruments of communion. (The other two are the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Lambeth Conference of bishops.)

Elizabeth Paver, the newly-elected ACC vice-chair, from the Church of England, also rose in support of the resolution, saying that the presence of primates in the joint standing committee of primates and the ACC “have highly enriched our discussions.” The request, she said, “is a way of bringing us closer together.”

The ACC also approved other resolutions, ranging from the precarious situation in the Korean peninsula to a special resolution of thanks to the local hosts, the diocese of Jamaica and Cayman Islands.

The resolutions, as well as the program for the last day of the ACC meeting and other commentary, can be found in the blog of Anglican Journal staff writer, Marites N. Sison, http://forums.anglicanjournal.com/notes/jamaica/