The House spent time discussing the Church of England’s Faith and Order Commission’s (FAOC) theological response to the Nairobi-Cairo Proposals.
Produced by the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Unity, Faith, and Order (IASCUFO), the Nairobi-Cairo Proposals make recommendations for updating the description and Instruments of the Anglican Communion.
The House commended FAOC’s response to the Nairobi-Cairo Proposals. The FAOC paper and an introductory reflection from the House of Bishops will be published in due course.
On the first proposal of the Nairobi-Cairo Proposals, regarding the description of the Anglican Communion, the House believed that FAOC’s language – which would continue to emphasise the significance of eucharistic communion – would be the basis for further reflection in this area.
On the second proposal, which considers the role of the Archbishop of Canterbury among the primates, the House supported FAOC’s judgment that an open dialogue process among the Primates that does not presume any specific outcome would be welcome.
The House received an update from the Bishops’ Working Group on ‘Promoting Unity in our Nation’. The group, chaired by Bishop Martyn Snow, has been convened to help equip the Church to understand and respond to political and social polarisation in our country. It is working on resources to support parishes wanting to respond to division pastorally, practically and theologically, as well as equipping church leaders to participate constructively in the national debate.
The Bishops agreed on the importance of this work and were keen to encourage local churches to offer spaces to listen, to be courageous in speaking truth to power and naming injustice, as well as actively seeking opportunities for community cohesion.
The House reflected on trends in Church of England attendance between and across dioceses in the light of five consecutive years of growth. The House welcomed the increased church attendance and paid tribute to the clergy, laity and volunteers across the country offering people a warm welcome and encouraging their faith.
The Bishops unanimously endorsed Hope for All Creation, produced by FAOC, as its teaching document on understanding and responding to the climate and environmental crises, drawing from the faith, life and worship of the Church. The document is expected to be published before the July Synod.
The House discussed the start of work on a review of the definition of safeguarding, to examine whether the Church’s structures and processes are established in a way that can best ensure everyone it comes into contact with is kept safe from harm.
Bishops heard an update on the evolution of the population of stipendiary and self-supporting clergy. They discussed ongoing work on clergy wellbeing and deployment as well as the significant work which is currently being undertaken to support the renewal of ministerial vocations across the church.
The House discussed ongoing research work nearing its conclusion on trust and trustworthiness in the Church of England alongside a separate item on strengthening accountability for Bishops and clergy. Bishop Debbie Sellin, the new Lead Bishop for Accountability, will be taking this work forward.