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Call for heresy trials narrowly rejected
Michael Brown THE Church of England drew back from heresy trials at the weekend and jettisoned a call to re-introduce prosecutions in the ecclesiastical courts of clergy whose teaching is "incompatible" with its doctrines.
The General Synod, the church's parliament, did so at York after learning from a judge that heresy trials would be unworkable.
Clergy on the synod narrowly rejected the move by 103 to 99, confirming the belief that "turkeys would not vote for Christmas".
Under synod rules this meant that even though most bishops (27 to 12) and lay people (164 to 51) backed the idea, the move was scuppered.
In rejecting the suggestion, Anglican leaders clearly heeded warnings that guerrilla warfare could break out in the church between conservative evangelicals and liberals if heresy trials were set up.
There was also the suspicion – only hinted at during an intense 90 minute debate – that evangelicals could use the suggested disciplinary hearings to witch-hunt practising gay clergy.
In addition some suspected that liberals might find themselves in the dock for failing, contrary to church law, to wear proper church vesture such as cassock and surplice.
Bishop of Chester Peter Forster, who headed a working party which called for the heresy trials, pleaded that such tribunals would be "a last, last, last resort." He argued: "If we don't have discipline you could have a priest who was advocating racism."
In rejecting the move, the synod in effect snubbed Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams who had said: "At the moment it may be rather difficult to imagine that the church could ever be concerned about anything other than sex or surplices. But I hope we can think more broadly, more evangelically.
"Certain things really are incompatible with Christian profession and I don't think we ought to let ourselves forget that."
Bishop Forster, a former vicar of Beverley, said the last formal disciplinary case against a vicar alleging a doctrinal offence was in 1871.
There was already on the statute book the 40-year-old Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction Measure for disciplining clergy who taught heresy but that was thought complex and inflexible and it was feared it could be challenged under the Human Rights Act.
Bishop Forster added: "We (the working group) agreed that a formal process continues ultimately to be required to protect both individuals who are accused of an offence and the wider church."
Bishop of Rochester Michael Nazir-Ali said: "There can't be a doctrinal free-for-all" but he pledged "clergy will not be hounded. They will be protected under the proposals against malicious prosecution."
Judge John Bullimore of Wakefield, Chancellor of the dioceses of Derby and Blackburn, said the idea was unworkable. A clergyman's utterance on one Sunday had to be set in the context of what he said the previous Sunday and what he might say the subsequent Sunday.
Dean of Oxford Christopher Lewis declared: "The church of England should be getting rid of law instead of falling into the general 'litigiousity' of the nation."
Benny Hazlehurst, the vicar of Brixton in London, warned: "This could lead to guerrilla war between extremes in the church."
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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