The General Synod has welcomed a Church of England report paving the way for an overhaul of clergy discipline with a new system for the investigation and disposal of a range of complaints.Members voted to back the first moves to create legislation for a Clergy Conduct Measure, replacing the Clergy Discipline Measure (CDM) 2003.The vote follows the publication of the report Under Authority Revisited which sets out proposals for complaints to be allocated into three different tracks, depending on seriousness. Opening the debate, the Bishop of Worcester, John Inge (see photo), who headed the Implementation Group that drew up the report, said that the time for change was ‘overdue’.“Whilst the critique of the CDM could be extensive, the principal failing of it as a piece of legislation lies in its inflexibility to respond to different levels of misconduct and complaint,” he told the Synod.“In meeting our objectives the Implementation Group has sought to apply four fundamental principles – first, the process must provide for a proportionate and efficient way of dealing with a much wider range of grievances and misconduct. Secondly, the process must protect clergy from frivolous, malicious and vexatious accusations. “Thirdly, there must be swift access to justice for both those who have been wronged and those who face allegations. And fourthly, the rules of natural justice must permeate the system as a visible sign of fairness.“The report has been published after a working group was set up to respond to the recommendations of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) for the Church of England to make improvements to the CDM in dealing with safeguarding complaints.The findings of the working group identified that there was a pressing need for the creation of a system that could deal with different levels of misconduct and behaviour and that the CDM needed replacing in full.• Bishop John Inge is Chair of the Clergy Conduct Measure Implementation Group which was formed last year to formulate legislative proposals for the creation of a new Clergy Conduct Measure. The text of the motion passed is below: ‘That this Synod: (a) welcome the report from the Clergy Conduct Measure Implementation Group (GS 2277); and (b) request that the Archbishops’ Council introduce legislation to give effect to the report’s recommendations for first consideration by this Synod at the next available opportunity.’
As the first female bishop in the House of Lords, Bishop of Gloucester Rachel Treweek explains that there is no tension between Christianity and feminism.Having made history as the first woman bishop in the House of Lords, Rachel Treweek believes equality is rooted in the Bible. “In Genesis, it talks about God creating humans in God’s image,” she says. “If we’re all made in God’s image, then God is neither male nor female – so men, women, girls, boys – we’re all equally created.”She is happy to debate with those who do not share her view. On her first day as a bishop, she went to meet parishioners of a church most opposed to her appointment. “I always say: ‘Let’s talk about theology, but if it’s misogyny, I am going to call it out.’ A lot of what has been framed as theology is blatant misogyny,” she adds.Treweek has occasionally been called “bossy” – “That’s so gendered. If I were a man, I’d be called assertive,” – and faced patronising comments: “When I lead prayers, a man will say, ‘You did that so well’; I reply: ‘If I were a man, would you say that?’”The bishop, 59, grew up in Hertfordshire, in a Christian household. In her mid-20s, she was working as a paediatric speech therapist when she heard God’s call. She told her local vicar, who replied: “I have been waiting for you to say that.”One long night, after going to see a pantomime – “so I know God has a sense of humour!” – she had a “wrestling experience with God”. She cried, but a song kept playing in her head: You Laid Aside Your Majesty, Gave Up Everything for Me, which made her think about the sacrifices she believes God made for her, and how she wished to do the same. “It was a Road to Damascus moment – and what is extraordinary is that women couldn’t be ordained at that time.”When the vote to allow women priests went through the General Synod in 1992, Treweek was at theological college. She became a priest in 1995 and 20 years later, after being a bishop for only four weeks, entered the House of Lords. She had to send back her writ of summons to be tweaked as it referred to a “Right Reverend Father in God”.“I hadn’t realised how historic it was,” she admits. “The gallery was full – a lot of female MPs came in – and applause broke out... People often say I’ve been a pioneer, but I’ve never seen it as a career path; it’s always ‘what is God calling me to do?’ But I feel passionately about girls and women being equal.”Still today, only five of 26 bishops in the Lords are women and she worries progress is stalling. “A lot of dioceses have appointed suffragan – assistant bishops – who are women, and I wonder if there is an [attitude of]: ‘we don’t need another one.’”Feminism informs much of her work. She is bishop to HM Prisons and says far too many women are in prison who shouldn’t be. “A lot of them have been abused. They go in for petty crimes when we’re not dealing with the root issues.”She must also be the only bishop who talks about Love Island, as she goes into schools to discuss body image. “It was an issue for me as a teenager, but I didn’t have social media,” she recalls. “And in reality shows, they make it seem as though you have to look a certain way to get a relationship. The campaign says: ‘your value does not come from what you look like’.”It is a much-maligned woman – Mary Magdalene – who inspires her. “People often think she was a prostitute, but she wasn’t,” Treweek says. “She was the first person Christ appeared to after his resurrection, and he always spoke to her as an equal.”
The global Anglican Communion will have a greater voice on the body which nominates future Archbishops of Canterbury as a result of changes approved by the Church of England’s General Synod today.Until now the wider worldwide Anglican Communion, outside of England, has been represented by just one of the 16 members of the Crown Nominations Commission (CNC) for the See of Canterbury.But under changes to the Standing Orders of the General Synod formally approved today, there will now be five representatives of other churches of the Anglican Communion – one each from Africa; the Americas; Middle East and Asia; Oceania and Europe. The new rules will also ensure the inclusion of laity and clergy as well as bishops; a balance of men and women and that at least half of the five will be of Global Majority Heritage. All diocesan bishops of the Church of England, including the archbishops, are appointed by Her Majesty the Queen following a nomination by the Crown Nominations Commission for the see. Under the changes the Canterbury CNC will now have 17 voting members, with the number of representatives from the Diocese of Canterbury reducing from six to three. Meanwhile the appointment process for the Bishop of Dover, the suffragan bishop in the Diocese of Canterbury, will be carried out by a CNC rather than being appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, as in the past.The changes were agreed in principle through a series of motions passed at Synod and Saturday. New standing orders were then drafted and were approved in a further vote today. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said: "From the richest to the poorest nations, the Anglican Communion spans a hugely diverse tapestry of societies, cultures and human experience. “Anglicans worldwide have a profound and historic relationship with the See of Canterbury, and the Archbishop of Canterbury has the great privilege of serving as a focus of unity for Anglican churches across the globe. “It is only right that this international family of churches is given a voice in the process of selecting the ‘first among equals’ of the bishops of our global communion. “That is why I am pleased that General Synod has voted to increase the representation of Anglicans from around the Communion in the process of choosing future Archbishops of Canterbury. “This small but important step will ensure that the Crown Nominations Commission for the See of Canterbury has balanced and diverse representation from the entire Anglican Communion. “I also want to thank the Diocese of Canterbury for giving up three seats on the Canterbury CNC to enable this change. “I pray that this significant step will bind us more closely together as disciples of Jesus Christ, called to share his good news with a world in need.”
