A reporter on the progressive Anglican website, “Another place to party”, Deborah Bird, has been quick to point out that the election of an evangelical, Bishop Ric Thorpe, as the new Anglican Archbishop of Melbourne, is likely to “likely to tip the balance in the House of Bishops of the National Church.”
An analysis of key votes in the last General Synod (national church parliament) in 2022 makes it clear that the effect of the election is far reaching. A conservative-leaning House of Bishops, would join the decisive conservative majorities in the House of Clergy and the House of Laity in the tricameral body. Previous to 2022 the General Synod had a progressive majority in all three houses, but was bound by the Anglican Church of Australia’s Constitution which has held back same sex marriage. A change in the House of Bishops would consolidate a conservative Anglican majority.
In this report, the term “conservative” is being used to mean the evangelical and anglo-catholic Anglicans who oppose same sex marriage or same sex blessings – current issues of the moment in the Anglican Communion.
A conservative General Synod positions the Anglican Church of Australia as the sole “Angloshere” province (national church) in the Anglican Communion alligned with the majority of the Anglican Communion that opposes same sex blessings, and marriages.
Deborah Bird of Another Place To Party reported that “In 2023, amidst debates within the Church of England regarding the blessing of same-sex relationships, Thorpe co-authored a theological summary arguing for the doctrine of marriage as a union between one man and one woman, and voted against introducing standalone services for same-sex couples on a trial basis during a meeting of the General Synod.
“Prior to episcopal ministry, he spent a decade (2005–2015) as rector of St Paul’s, Shadwell, overseeing church-planting initiatives after his formative ministry at Holy Trinity Brompton.”
At the last General Synod in 2022 same-sex marriage was the focus of key votes. This writer reported for Eternity. “A motion to affirm traditional marriage has passed in two of the three houses at the Anglican General Synod (GS) being held on the Gold Coast, but has been blocked in the house of Bishops.
“In the House of Laity – the vote was 63-47 and in clergy 70-39, but the motion failed in the House of Bishops 10-12.” Two bishops abstained.
The House of Bishops membership is also affected by the Bishop of the Murray, Keith Dalby, having stepped aside, and the resignation of the Primate (national leader) and Archbishop of Adelaide, Geoffrey Smith. In addition, it may be that other votes might shift in either direction before the next General Synod in August next year.
Archbishop-to-be Thorpe’s first significant vote will be in the election of a new Primate, by a board of electors likely in July. The diocesan bishops, 12 clergy, and 12 laity elected by the General Synod make up the board with the clergy and laity reflecting the conservative surge at the last General synod. All three groups, the Bishops, Laity and Clergy each need to vote for the same candidate.
However the conservative vote in the House of Bishops is likely down by one because the Bishop of the Murray has stepped aside.