Standing Committee resolution on Gippsland

On Monday 28th May, 2012, the Standing Committee of the Diocese of Sydney passed the following resolution about recent developments in the Diocese of Gippsland.

“Standing Committee notes its dismay at the Bishop of Gippsland’s May 18, 2012 Presidential Address to the Anglican Diocese of Gippsland from which it is reasonable to infer his intention to appoint, amongst others, practising homosexuals to ministry roles in his Diocese and support same-sex marriages.

Standing Committee considers that Bishop McIntyre’s earlier appointment of a practising homosexual to a ministry office and his May 18, 2012 statement represent –

(a)        a departure from the teaching of Scripture,

(b)        a departure from the Lambeth Resolution I.10 of 1998,

(c)        a departure from Faithfulness in Service §7.4,

(d)        a breach of the Australian Bishops' Protocol agreed to by all Australian bishops (including the Bishop of Gippsland) in March this year,

(e)        a breach of trust and fellowship at a profound level which deeply grieves us.”