What did GC do on the "big issues"

If you look back a couple posts you should see a list I gave of issues to keep an eye on during GC. Here's what happened with each of them.

1. Title IV revisions where put on hold until next GC. They will be discussed by one of the interim bodies over the next 3 years, so keeping an eye open for more news on them would be a good idea.

2. The election of the Rt. Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori as the next PB surprised most everyone. What little I had seen of her, mostly the responses to questions in The Witness, I hadn't been particularly impressed, but her biography suggests that she is a very able woman who could easily do a great job. Time will tell how she does, and it is far to early to be making predictions at this point. Those who have almost immediately responded by requesting Alternate Primatial Oversight, for example, are probably acting hastily and without clear enough cause.

3. Bonnie Anderson, previously the Vice-President of the HoD, was elected president of the HoD with little controversy. I beleive the expectation is that she has learned well from George Werner and will lead the House very well.

4. The response to the Windsor Report took up a great deal of time at Convention. GC responded by affirming its commitment to the rest of the AC (A159), Expressed regret for straining the bonds of affection (A160), committed itself to the Windsor Process (the process of discerning how we might live more deeply into communion) and the Listening Process (listening to the experience of gay and lesbian people as multiple past Lambeth Conferences have requested) (A165), committed itself to participate in developing the proposed Anglican Covenant (A166), and urging all bishops and standing committees "to exercise restraint by not consenting to the consecration of any candidate to the episcopate whose manner of life presents a challenge to the wider church and will lead to further strains on communion" (B033). The last resolution was by far the most controversial. Those who were following what the convention was doing will recall that B033 was passed on the final day of convention and was the result of some last minute rushing to find some way to respond to the central requests the Windsor Report made of TEC. It also required the suspension of the rules of the HoD for it to be considered since the substance of the resolution had been considered and rejected in A161 the day before and consideration of the substance in another form had been failed to acheive the necessary 2/3rds vote in favor of consideration. Nothing was done about the blessing of same sex unions leaving them in the limbo of being done in a permissable way but without any official liturgy approved or even in the process of being approved by the national church.

5. The biggest thing passed that had implications for the budget was the Millenium Development Goals that were so popular at the Convention. Those who aren't particularly interested in the internal politics of the church will probably find the work of the MDG's or one of the other world focused resolutions a more fruitful focus than the Windsor Report issues or Title IV.

Coming up Next "Who all shows up for GC"

Jon