Eames Commission Continues Elusive Search for Unity over Election of Women to Episcopate
Episcopal News Service. May 10, 1990 [90027_Z]
From the outset the Archbishop of Canterbury's Commission on Communion and Women in the Episcopate, commonly known as the Eames Commission, has had to deal with reality rather than theories.
Before the commission could convene its first meeting, the Rev. Barbara Harris was elected suffragan bishop in Massachusetts. And before the commission could specifically address the matter of women diocesan bishops, the Rev. Penelope Jamieson was elected diocesan bishop of Dunedin in New Zealand.
The two elections meant "this is no longer a theory but a person," the Most Rev. Robin Eames, Primate of All Ireland and chair of the commission, said at a press conference following the March meeting in London. The task for the commission would be to issue acceptable guidelines, a "primer" for Anglicans to follow on the bumpy road of communion in spite of deeply held opinions that are at odds. (See text of the report in Newsfeatures section of this ENS.)
The election of Jamieson as a diocesan bishop sharpened considerably the issues of women in the episcopate. How might the communion wade through the thicket of questions on church unity if the symbol of that unity -- the head of a diocese -- herself were the symbol of disunity? How should bishops who are unconvinced of her episcopacy or members convinced that she could not exercise episcopacy respond to her?
The bishop of Wakefield, David Hope, a member of the commission, reported that commission members had "sharp words" with one another in dealing with these questions. He spoke of the pain necessary to maintain bonds of communion, of "making space," of "being sensitive to one another's consciences."
The commission, representing the entire spectrum of opinion on the issue of women's ordination, has charted a particularly Anglican path through the middle of a briar patch of emotional questions entangling the issue.
The framework for the commission continues to be koinonia, the fellowship of the body of Christ, the recognition of a common life -- a communion -- of the baptized that precedes all questions of structures and order in the church.
With this understanding, the commission explains how people in the church should treat one another: Both sides should exercise the utmost mutual respect for one another as the church continues to test the ministry of ordained women.
The guidelines give simple advice. To dioceses considering electing a woman bishop: Follow your own provincial process as you make your decision; wait until you have experienced women as priests for a number of years; communicate and consult with the rest of the communion via the Lambeth Conference before you make your decision.
As women are elected women bishops in dioceses that do not have complete consensus on the matter, the commission has advice for dissenters: Continue to support the diocese, not only financially, but also with your participation in the life of the diocese.
Out of respect for the dissenters, local congregations could continue to receive the ministry of oversight from episcopal visitors. However, the commission insists that the woman bishop be recognized as a bishop by her participation in the provincial college of bishops. And, while the church continues to test the ministry of women priests and bishops, dissenters must respect the process of reception and the woman bishop.
For the wider church, the commission recognizes that provinces may disagree with each other regarding women bishops, and that the disagreement will continue to restrict some levels of communion.
Yet, the commission pointed out that discomfort from such restrictions already exists to some degree within the communion. The advice to both sides of the issue: Be pastoral to one another, "fully cognizant of the hurt and distress" and the "pain" caused during debate on the issue.
Moreover, the commission warned against individual statements about the breaking of communion. Statements about ecclesial communion are "in contemporary Anglicanism, the responsibility of the province or, in some circumstances, the Primate," the commission said.
In the end, the commission issues all its guidelines with one goal in mind: as Anglicans travel this road together, they should keep in mind the spirit of Christ bestowed at baptism. This is the basis for all communion. Obstacles along the journey should not blind us to the reason why we are traveling -- or the destination.
The commission put it this way, "Our communion is always imperfect this side of the eschaton; we must work and pray for its transfiguration by the grace of God as we grow in love and deepening fellowship together."