Delegates to the Anglican Consultative Council complained that too much time was being spent on navel-gazing instead of dealing with the real problems in the world.
Bishops attending the Anglican Congress on the Stewardship of Creation in South Africa urged the Communion to take a stronger stand on climate change and related environmental issues.
"While the government tabled legislation April 14 [2016] to clarify the laws around doctor-assisted death, responses from some members of the Anglican Church of Canada's task force on assisted dying show that the church -- and Canadian society -- remain divided about how widely available this measure should be. Canon Eric Beresford, the ethicist who chairs the task force, said he felt the government 'tried hard to balance a number of things', and commended the decision to exclude children from the purview of the act. Another member of the task force, however, suggested its restrictiveness is a problem. Julie Guichon, a lawyer and assistant professor at the University of Calgary's school of medicine, argued that in its current form the bill is unconstitutional." (p. 1). "Meanwhile, the government's promise to spend $3 billion over the next five years for homecare and expanded palliative care was received positively by various quarters. Beresford said the announcement was 'wonderful news', and suggested that with assisted dying now an option, strong palliative care is more important than ever" (p. 12).
The Rev. Eric Beresford has been invited to be a consultant to the Anglican Consultative Council meeting in Dundee, Scotland in September 1999. "He will assist the council in dealing with Lambeth resolutions concerning ethical issues surrounding technology and the environment".
Editorial examines the role of the national office and how some Anglicans believe Church House staff foist excessively liberal views on the rest of the church.
The church's debates about same sex unions were thrown into a completely new context in June when the Ontario Court of Appeal ruled that the federal law limiting marriage was discriminatory. The court legalized marriage for homosexual couples immediately. Reactions from churches.
Eric Beresford describes the process on this issue leading up to General Synod.
"So you want to become a priest in the Anglican Church of Canada ? Chances are you will find different sets of guidelines across the church's dioceses in Canada as to what skills and knowledge you must possess to become a candidate for ordination. This situation may soon change. A commission mandated by General Synod 2010 to identify competencies for priests has completed a final draft, and the committee for Faith, Worship and Ministry (FWM) presented it to the Council of General Synod (CoGS) for discussion. The list of competencies and examples of how they are manifested will ultimately by submitted by the FWM committee for approval to the 2013 General Synod in Ottawa. 'This is a document by the church, for the church', Canon Eric Beresford, commission member, told CoGS. The document recognizes the 'rapidly changing and increasing demand for ministry' and prepares the church for 'whatever shape it may come in the future', said Beresford. Archbishop Colin Johnson, metropolitan of the ecclesiastical province of Ontario, said the competencies help to make the selection 'a much fairer process' and could also be used by clergy as a 'road map for ongoing professional development and growth'." [ Text of entire article.]