Today the General Synod House of Bishops of the Church of England “took note of the report” on the Anglican Communion Covenant.
The report included details of a “time table set out”
5. In terms of the process thereafter in the Anglican Communion, Canon Gregory Cameron (Secretary to the Covenant Design Group) has confirmed that this is as follows:
“(a) to receive such comments on draft version 1 [as circulated to the July 2007 Synod] as submitted to inform redrafting to be done at a meeting of the CDG at the end of January 2008.
(b) to submit revised draft (version 2 – ie following the January 2008 CDG meeting) to Lambeth for bishops to add commentary. We don’t want the bishops to vote a text – or any part of it – up or down, but to make their views clear on the development of the text, and to catalyse the discussion at Provincial level, informing the development of the third draft, so the next phase is
(c) to send version 2 and Lambeth commentary to Provinces for consultation and ask for formal submissions on draft in light of commentary
(d) to prepare third draft (version 3) for submission to ACC-14 in 2009.”
6. The process thereafter would depend on decisions taken by the ACC. The time table set out by Canon Cameron means that there will be further opportunity for provincial comments – including some discussion in General Synod – in the period between Lambeth 2008 and leading into ACC-14 in 2009.
Read the two page report here. Audio of this afternoon’s debate is here.