By Joseph Smith

Child protection and the handling of sexual abuse claims will be the most important issues on the agenda at General Synod this year, says retiring General Secretary of the Anglican Church of Australia, the Rev Dr Bruce Kaye.
The recent controversy surrounding the handling of child sexual abuse claims in the diocese of Adelaide, leading to Dr Ian George standing down from his position as Archbishop, has brought this issue to the forefront.
“Reports have shown the church up in a very bad light. We have been caught failing. Our public integrity as a church is at stake, but it’s not just public perception that matters, it’s how we are,” Dr Kaye told Southern Cross. “Questions [such as], ‘Is this affecting attendance?’ are absolutely the wrong questions to ask. They are immoral questions. The question to ask is ‘Has our behaviour matched our profession as a Christian community?’ If it hasn’t then we should repent and do better.”
The three-yearly meeting will be held in Perth from October 2-8 this year, where representatives from the 23 dioceses will gather to discuss 22 bills. Fifty-two representatives out of a total of 220 will be from Sydney.
In March 2003 the Standing Committee of General Synod endorsed the preparation of a National Protocol concerning the handling of abuse complaints. In July 2003 they urged all dioceses to adopt unified procedures. This will be up for debate in October.
“It’s entirely possible a clergyperson could abuse someone in diocese A, the victim could move to diocese B and the perpetrator could move to diocese C,” Dr Kaye said. “If you don’t have a coordinated system, you’d find yourself unable to deal with the perpetrator and the victim unable to make a complaint with any prospect of it being dealt with properly. It is an attempt to set standards for a culture in the church being formed which will protect children and make it a safe place,” Dr Kaye said.
Controversy is set to continue when the ordination of female Bishops is debated. At the 2001 General Synod a move aiming at a ‘compromise’ lacked the support of significant numbers on both sides. In October, Dr Kaye believes the bill could go either way, and expects Sydney representatives to vote in a block against it.
On the other hand a proposed bill on Lay Presidency to allow lay people to administer the Holy Communion is a resolution many in Sydney want passed. Dr Kaye believes the question about lay presidency is directly analogous to the one about women bishops.
“If the women bishops fail to get up, what will Melbourne do? They have a resolution on their books saying they should go ahead with it. Will they say, ‘bad luck for the General Synod, we’re going to do it anyway’? If the General Synod fails to pass the resolution authorising lay presidency, what will Sydney do? They’re in the same boat as Melbourne on a different subject,” he said.
The restructuring of the primacy will also be debated. The Primate, Archbishop Peter Carnley retires in May 2005. “The present primate has done a lot of visiting and he feels it ought to be a full time job,” Dr Kaye said.
The church’s view on homosexuality will be another controversial item at General Synod. Questions will be raised about the church’s view on having liturgies that recognise or bless homosexual relationships, and openly homosexual people holding public office, whether ordained or lay.
General Synod is essential for learning from other Anglicans, Dr Kaye said. “One role of the national church is to sustain enough of a conversation between the dioceses so they don’t become caricatures of themselves.”
However, he does not agree that the aim of General Synod is for everyone to agree on everything. “Uniformity in detail can be a dangerous thing. I think uniformity is terrifically important if you are witnessing to the person and work of Christ. However, I think there is room for disagreement in the church whether or not we have women clergy. The early Christians disagreed on all sorts of things.”