The Anglican Communion News Service reports on Day 2 of the meeting of the Standing Committee. One member proposed the Episcopal Church be separated from the Communion but this proposal was overwhelmingly rejected:
A proposal from Dato’ Stanley Isaacs that The Episcopal Church be separated from the Communion led to a discussion in which Committee members acknowledged the anxieties felt in parts of the Communion about sexuality issues. Nevertheless, the overwhelming opinion was that separation would inhibit dialogue on this and other issues among Communion Provinces, dioceses and individuals and would therefore be unhelpful. The proposal was not passed, and the group agreed to defer further discussion until progress on Continuing Indaba project had been considered.
Other topics included the New Constitution, a report from the UN Observer, the new Director of Communications and the request from the Primates to add more Primates to the Standing Committee:
After extensive discussion on the Primates’ Meeting 2009 request to increase its Standing Committee membership from five to eight, the Standing Committee:
1. noted the request from the Primates’ Meeting 2009 to increase from 5 to 8 the number of Primates on the Standing Committee
2. affirmed that the proper body to make a decision about this request is the ACC
3. without expressing a view for or against the request asked the Legal Adviser to draft constitutional changes to implement the following structure for the Standing Committee for consideration at the next Standing Committee meeting and eventually by ACC-15: The President, the Chairperson, the Vice-chairperson, 8 Primates, 8 other Trustee-members (non-Primates)
4.requested the Finance and Administration Committee to advise on the financial implications of this proposal.
Read it all here
Episcopal New Service reports here.
Mark Harris comments at his blog Preludium:
So a closed meeting of the Standing Committee can consider a proposal to separate The Episcopal Church from the Anglican Communion, supposedly with the understanding that such a proposal was in order. It failed not because the power of the Standing Committee was challenged, but because it was felt to be premature and the Standing Committee awaited further input.
He also notes that “that could mean that all told there would be 11 or 12 bishops out of a 16 member Committee. ”