If the report is not released until spring, and if it states that we cannot adopt the covenant without making constitutional and canonical changes, advocates for the covenant will have a fairly compact window in which to draft legislation and organize support.
If the Standing Commission is of the opinion that passing the covenant would require us to make half a dozen changes to the Constitution and another dozen and a half to the canons, this information will overpower whatever context one attempts to put it in. In churchland, that’s front page news, and it isn’t helpful to pretend otherwise.
In representative governing structures such as ours, representatives are not allowed to withhold information from the governed because they think we may respond in ways they find unpalatable.
ENS reports that the sub-committee formulating the Executive Council’s response to the proposed Anglican Covenant is refusing to release a report on whether the covenant would require changes to the Episcopal Church’s Constitution and Canons.
The Executive Council of the Episcopal Church (the interim governing body between General Conventions) concluded its meeting in Fort Worth yesterday and reported that a key portion of their conversation focused on responding to calls to reconsider the structure and governance of the Episcopal Church.
A tip of the hat to Mary Frances Schjonberg of Episcopal News Service for covering the meetings like a reporter rather a reputation manager, to the Executive Council for resisting the secrecy of executive session and to Del Glover for reminding us that vigorous disagreement can be a sign of maturity and health, and not an indication that the apocalypse is nigh.
Updated.Until Mary Frances Schjonberg files her story, we will be without a first hand account, but email communication with some of those present suggests that some members of the council thought that the Presiding Bishop was beginning to make the case for a style of governance that concentrated more authority in the hands of bishops and the Church Center staff at the expense of clergy and laity.
Province III recently passed a resolution highly critical of the method used to create the most recent triennial budget for the Episcopal Church. Executive Council has responded that they are looking into the matter.
Reports from Executive Council members about the discussion with Secretary General Kenneth Kearon are coming in. Social media are being employed by Council member to get the word out. This post will be updated as more reports arrive.