I wonder. . . Could this:
7/07/04
Australian Anglicans back orthodox in Global South, U.S.
From Anglican Media Sydney
The Sydney Standing Committee has bolstered the heavyweight pressure being put on the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Lambeth Commission to penalise the Episcopal Church of the United States (ECUSA) over the controversial appointment of Bishop V. Gene Robinson.
After a lengthy debate in late May, Standing Committee resolved to support the conservative primates of the Global South – representing two-thirds of the Communion – in their call to the Lambeth Commission to urge ECUSA to turn back to God and withdraw from their election of openly gay Bishop Robinson.
Standing Committee also supported the Primates’ call to the Commission to invoke disciplinary action, if necessary, that could involve ECUSA’s expulsion from the Communion.
It supported the Primates’ view that such extreme action was necessary because Bishop Robinson’s appointment in the Diocese of New Hampshire last year demonstrated that ECUSA had ‘abandoned’ the teaching of Scripture as it relates to matters ‘necessary to salvation’.The Standing Committee therefore believes they need ‘to repent, and to rescind and revoke their election of Bishop Robinson’.
It also supports the maintenance of those parishes and dioceses ‘who are seeking to uphold the historic faith of the Anglican Communion as set forth in Holy Scripture’.
and this:
Anglicans drop lay presidency laws
By Paul Osborne
August 15, 2004
THE Sydney Anglican diocese has backed down on a move to pass laws to allow lay people to administer the bread and wine during church services.
But the diocese’s executive, the standing committee, has said it would not discipline any deacons or lay people who administered communion.
The Sydney diocese’s parliament, or synod, was expected to vote on legislation in October to allow non-priests to administer communion.
The standing committee last week made its decision not to press ahead with the laws after considering a report on attitudes to lay administration and the current legal situation.
But it will present a motion to the October synod setting out its support for lay administration. The motion states that “we believe there are good biblical, theological and practical grounds for introducing lay administration”.
It also says the law should allow that which the Bible allows and that until the law is changed, or it was determined no legal change was needed, “no disciplinary or other action should be taken against any person in relation to deacons or lay persons administering the Lord’s Supper (communion).
“Lay or diaconal administration is a legitimate expression of Anglicanism,” the motion says.
The issue has been hotly debated within the church for decades.
The Anglican Church’s highest legal body, the Appellate Tribunal, found by a majority in 1997 that lay presidency was consistent with the church’s constitution.
But it also found by a majority that a decision of the national church’s parliament, the General Synod, was needed before individual dioceses could go ahead with it.
Some sections of the church believe allowing lay people to administer the bread and wine removes elitism and could help sustain congregations in rural and remote areas where priests are unavailable.
But opponents say the Bible and tradition make it clear that only a priest or bishop should be able to preside.
AAP
be linked? My guess is that Sydny moved on lay presidency because it is as devisive as Vicki Gene and they recieved pressure from orthodox Bishops indicating that thier case and their support would be more clearly heard without this attendant conflict.