Anglican Communion News Service

Resolutions ACC - 14

‘The Bible in the Life of the Church’

Resolved: 09.05.09

The Anglican Consultative Council:

• welcomes the presentation by Archbishop Phillip Aspinall and the Director of Theological Studies on the proposed project ‘The Bible in the Life of the Church’;
• asks the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Secretary-General to appoint a Steering Group to direct the project until ACC-15;
• encourages the development of the project along the lines presented, asking that the Steering Group take account of the work of, and work collaboratively with, the Listening Process and the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Unity, Faith and Order;
• asks Provinces to contribute to the ongoing costs of the Project over the next three years;
• asks that a report on the project be presented to ACC-15.

Network on Inter-Faith Concerns

Resolved: 09.05.09

The ACC

• welcomes the varied work done by NIFCON in the field of inter faith concerns;
• commends the report Generous Love: the truth of the Gospel and the Call to Dialogue for study in the Anglican Communion
• endorses NIFCON's priorities for the next phase as set out in their Report, in particular its desire to offer training resources in the field of engagement with other faiths, and to assist the Anglican Communion in responding more effectively to the situation of Christian minorities living in difficult contexts.
• welcomes the appointment of Most Revd Mouneer H Anis and Rt Revd Tim Stevens as Presidents of NIFCON.

Middle East (from APJN)

Resolved: 09.05.09

The Anglican Consultative Council meeting in Kingston, Jamaica between May 2-12, 2009, in response to the challenge in a sermon on May 3, 2009, of the Archbishop of Canterbury to be a people of hope to those in need of justice, forgiveness and reconciliation,

1. deplores violence wherever it is used in conflict in the land of Israel/Palestine and affirms its desire that a robust peace process in the Palestinian/Israeli conflict leading to a two state solution should be pursued by all parties without delay
2. expresses its deep concern about recent and continuing events in Gaza, and supports and draws attention to the ‘Statement on the situation in Gaza’ issued by the February 2009 Primates meeting.
3. laments the fact that current Israeli policies in relation to the West Bank, in contravention of UN Security Council resolutions, have created severe hardship for many Palestinians and have been experienced as a physical form of apartheid.
4. noting that a just peace must guarantee the security and territorial integrity of  both Israel and the future state of Palestine so that all the people of the area can live in peace and prosperity, applauds President Barack Obama for his commitment to work for a just peace for both Palestinians and Israelis, and calls on him and all governments of the Middle East to work in co-operation with the United Nations for the creation of a Palestinian state alongside the State of Israel as defined by UN Security Council Resolutions,
5. welcomes the Arab League statements which indicate a readiness to make peace with the state of Israel, the resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict, and the normalization of relations, and calls on the Israeli government to respond favourably to the Arab proposal in an effort to end all forms of belligerence on the basis of international law. 
6. calls on Israel to
   
   1. end its occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip
   2. freeze immediately all settlement building with the intention to abandon its settlement policy in preparation for a Palestinian state
   3. remove the separation barrier (wall) where it violates Palestinian land beyond the Green Line
   4. end home demolitions, and
   5. close checkpoints in the Palestinian territories
7. recognising that the city of Jerusalem is holy to Christianity, Islam and Judaism and is not therefore the monopoly of any one religion, upholds the view that members of all three faith groups should have free access to their holy sites.
8. calls on all people of faith and good will to pray and work for peace so that justice and reconciliation may be achieved for all the people of Palestine and Israel.

Related News Entries

• Resolutions of ACC-14 from 8th May (May 8, 2009)
• Resolutions of ACC-14 from 5th May (May 6, 2009)