A slightly revised motion was presented on the Saturday of Synod by the Archbishop of Dublin and the Bishop of Down & Dromore. This incorporated aspects of their three motions presented on Thursday. Both the speakers to the motion delivered speeches which were conciliatory in both their content and tone of presentation.
The Archbishop of Dublin introduced the motion apologising for the short time frame that members had to consider the original motions. It was due to a tight time frame in a pressurised world. “No insult or hurt was intended”.
He said the matter under discussion was one which required human and pastoral sensitivity and reticence, “that this matter is a complex and sensitive one for many individuals and couples. The particular emphasis on procreation is one that gives rise to very real and private pain for those who find they cannot have children or who experience significant challenges in that regard”.
Dr Jackson said the issue had become a defining one for international Anglicanism. He said, “The flow and content of the Cavan Conference provided many opportunities for attentive listening as well as clear speaking. Its residential capacity facilitated the turning of acquaintance into friendship. It was structured to facilitate the expression of principled positions faithfully held, in a climate of critical trust and mutual respect”
He continued stating that the bishops felt that “Episcopacy is defined by service every bit as much as it is by leadership. The two stand together. This is manifestly true in a synodical church where together the bishops seek to model the intentional discipleship which is the calling of all God’s children and followers of Christ.”
The bishops “have the firm and fervent desire of enabling members of our church to engage with what are some of the most complex, pressing and, to many, private aspects of contemporary life, understood from a sexual perspective. It is my hope, and that of the bishop of Down & Dromore, that we are, in fact, offering something of value to the Church of Ireland.”
Seconding the motion, the Bishop of Down, Rt Rev Harold Miller affirmed that “the essential contents of this motion have emerged from the corporate thinking of the bishops. They have been carefully crafted, with a balance in content and wording which has been through many stages and revisions.. The bishops have taken very seriously their role in maintaining and furthering the unity of the church at a time when that has been threatened in the wider Anglican Communion. So the contents of this motion were not arrived at lightly.”
Bishop Miller focussed on the phrase “Safe place” in the motion. The cavan conference had given a “Kind of glimpse of what ‘a safe place’ might look like. There was truly respectful listening, there were relationships across a wide rage of opinion and sense that it might even be possible for the C of I to do something which has been well nigh impssible in other ars of the communion: to find a way forward carefully and prayerfully together”.
H concluded by stressing the importance of listening, quoting the Tyrone GAA manager, Micky Harte, who had emphasised this skill in a recent presentation he had given in Belfast…. “Listening accords respect and value to the other. It is absolutely vital to all we do and how we live”.
Listening, said Bishop Miller, did not mean laying down our own views formed over the years, “but we also realize that we need to find a starting point for a way forward, to begin the journey together. I suggest this motion is our starting point, and the journey together will hopefully be both an interesting and productive one.” He requested synod to pass the motion and to create a “safe place” for our ongoing conversations.
The text of the motion is presented in a following document on this site – 1B