Church of Pakistan ordered to produce minutes of the 15th General Synod for court inspection

A legal challenge has been mounted against the May election of the moderator and officers of the Church of Pakistan. At the conclusion of a preliminary hearing on 22 June 2017 the Sindh Province High Court issued an order directing the church’s General Secretary, Anthony Ejaz Lamuel, to produce the minutes of the 15th triennial meeting of General Synod held 16-17 May 2017 in Lahore for inspection by the complainants.

Two clerical, Parves Barkat and Raymond Sohail, and a lay member of synod, Victor Dass, alleged the election of the moderator, deputy moderator, general secretary and other officers had been conducted in a manner contrary to the constitution and canons of the church.

In May, Synod voted to amend the mandatory retirement age for bishops from 68 to 70, and elected  to a three year term of office the Bishop in Peshawar, the Rt. Rev. Humphrey Peters, Moderator, the Bishop in Faisalabad, John Samuel, Deputy Moderator, and Mr. Anthony Ejaz Lamuel as General Secretary.

The court directed the General Secretary to produce the minutes before the court to verify that the proper procedures had been taken to elect the new officers.

The case continues.