2020: Parish Response to the Opinion of the Appellate Tribunal

To welcome the November 2020 Opinion of the Appellate Tribunal of the Anglican Church of Australia, which ruled that the Diocese of Wangaratta’s proposed service of blessing for persons in civil marriages was not inconsistent with the Fundamental Declarations and Ruling Principles of the Constitution of the Church. To affirm this decision as an important first step for greater inclusion of LGTBIQ+ people in the Anglican Church of Australia. 

BACKGROUND

In August 2019, the Diocese of Wangaratta adopted a Regulation which authorised a form of service for the blessing of persons in civil marriages, including same-sex marriages: 

(a)   The Primate of Australia and Archbishop of Melbourne, the Most Rev’d Philip Frier, referred the matter to the Appellate Tribunal to determine whether this service was inconsistent with the Fundamental Declarations and Ruling Principles of the Constitution of the Church. 

(b)  In October of 2019, the Archbishop of Sydney, the Most Rev’d Glenn Davies, asked those within the Church who were personally in favour of marriage equality to leave the Church on grounds that their support for marriage equality fatally compromised the Church’s mission

(c)  Also in October 2019, at the Melbourne Diocesan Synod, a motion was passed that expressed the Synod’s sorrow at the Diocese of Wangaratta’s development of a service of blessing for persons in civil marriages

(d)  In response to the Diocesan Synod motion, in November 2019 the parish of St Peter’s Eastern Hill passed a parish council motion that rejected:

a.     the divisive comments of the Archbishop of Sydney

b.    the Melbourne Diocesan Synod’s expression of sorrow at Wangaratta’s proposed service of blessing for persons in civil marriages

(e)  St Peter’s Eastern Hill’s response has been consistent with its 2015 resolution of being a welcoming parish for LGTBIQ+ people, its public support for the “Yes” voting during the 2017 postal survey on marriage equality and its resolutions in 2019 

(f)   In November 2020 the Appellate Tribunal upheld the proposed service of blessing and the Regulation which adopted it, finding that nothing was inconsistent with the Fundamental Declarations and Ruling Principles or contrary to the doctrine of the Anglican Church

PROPOSED RESOLUTION

That the Parish Council of St Peter’s Eastern Hill:

(a)   Proclaims the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, which is both a sign and cause of the unity of God’s people, requiring us to love and include all people in their diversity. 

(b)  Believes that Jesus points us to a God of infinite and transformational love.

(c)  Notes that the 2015 Annual Meeting supported the Parish being an inclusive and welcoming congregation and that this has been bolstered by the parish’s public support for marriage equality during the 2017 postal survey and the Diocese of Wangaratta in 2019

(d)  Notes the contribution made by LGBTIQA+ people to the life and witness of the parish over many years;

(e)  Welcomes and expresses joy that the Diocese of Wangaratta has developed a service for blessing those who are in civil marriages, including same-sex marriages, and that the service’s compatibility with the doctrine of the Anglican Church has been affirmed by the Appellate Tribunal of the Anglican Church of Australia

(f)   Believes that this service represents a forward-looking, theologically sound and pastorally sensitive response to the very rapid growth of civil marriages in Australia, alongside 2017 changes to the Marriage Act (1961) following the outcome of the postal survey in November 2017.

(g)  We request that the Archbishop institute a discussion within the Diocese toward developing a Blessing to be used within the Diocese

Parish Council agrees that this position should be promulgated within the Parish of St Peter’s Eastern Hill and externally via social media.