Response to Diocese invoking Canon 15 Against St. Matthew’s and St. Matthias-St. Luke

http://www.stjohnsvancouver.org/commentary.php

[St. John's Shaughnessy] 29 Aug 2008--The Diocese of New Westminster (DNW) initiated action against St. Matthew’s Abbotsford and St. Matthias‑St. Luke Vancouver on August 26th and is seeking to take over governance of the parishes. We are deeply disappointed by this action as it fails to recognize:

• repeated attempts by the Anglican Network in Canada (ANiC) parishes to seek dialogue before litigation;
• repeated statements from the Primate of Canada that any such action will damage the public witness of the church;
• repeated calls from the Anglican Communion to refrain from such hostile action.

It is a sad irony that the Diocese invoked Canon 15 on the same day that the Archbishop of Canterbury released his Pastoral Letter to all Bishops of the Anglican Communion reflecting on the recent Lambeth conference saying:

"...the chief need of our Communion at the moment was the rebuilding of relationships – the rebuilding of trust in one another – and of confidence in our Anglican identity... How far the intensified sense of belonging together will help mutual restraint in such matters remains to be seen. But it can be said that few of those who attended left without feeling they had in some respects moved and changed."

Sadly, with the actions of the Diocese, it appears that this optimism is unfounded.