Anglican Church of Australia
General Synod
General Synod
Media Release
For immediate release 18 September 2010
Head of Anglican Church appeals for unity
The Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia, Dr Phillip Aspinall, today called for unity in his opening address to the Church’s supreme decision making body in Melbourne.
In his presidential address to the General Synod, the Primate called for respect for diversity and the importance of continuing to belong together in a greater whole.
“At the national level our belonging together… is expressed in a variety of ways and enables mission to the nation which otherwise would not be possible. But there are real risks that we need to steer around and further development of institutions and structures is necessary,” he said.
“The same is true in the international Anglican Communion. There is vitality and strength in the Anglican Communion especially evident in the emerging networks.”
Dr Aspinall said the strength of the Communion could be seen in the recently formed international Health Network together with the new alliance of Anglican aid and development agencies.
“The Communion is now better positioned than it has ever been to tackle questions of the health and the well being of people in some of the poorest parts of the globe. Through the active families’ network, the reinvigorated refugee network and the environment network, together with the work being undertaken in theological education and interfaith relations, the Anglican Communion is making a significant contribution on the world scene.”
The Synod consists of the House of Bishops, House of Clergy and House of Laity with the Primate presiding. It is held every three years and runs from today until Thursday 23 September.
This year there is a packed agenda including special business sessions on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ministry, the Anglican Communion Covenant and Fresh Expressions of Church.
The environment will be a topic of debate with a report expected to detail actions by the Church to safeguard God’s creation. The Public Affairs Commission is also scheduled to discuss its paper on sustainable population growth.
In his address Dr Aspinall paid tribute to two former Primates who passed away recently. The Archbishop praised the contributions of Archbishop Sir Marcus Loane and Archbishop Sir John Grindrod who were both statesmen of the Church but very different leaders.
“They had very different outlooks, emphases and approaches. And yet, for all their differences, they had in common some characteristics of spiritual leaders. Both were faithful, devout, principled leaders. They shared a generosity of spirit, a graciousness,” said Dr Aspinall.
NOTE: The full speech is available at: http://www.anglican.org.au/Web/Website.nsf/content/Introduction_General_Synod_2010
Media contact: Leigh Arnold, General Synod Media Coordinator*
Mobile: 0428 022 270 Email: media@anglican.org.au
* Leigh Arnold is the Communications Manager with AngliCORD, an overseas relief and development agency of the Anglican Church of Australia. The Media Officers at General Synod 2010 are Michelle Low, Marketing and Communications Manager, and Lisa Cowell, Media and Public Relations Coordinator, with Benetas, an Anglican aged care provider in Melbourne and Victoria.