The General Synod of the Church of Ireland meeting Friday in Armagh
voted in favour of the following Motion on the Anglican Covenant:
‘Seeing
that the Anglican Covenant is consonant with the doctrines and
formularies of the Church of Ireland, the General Synod hereby
subscribes the Covenant.'
The vote was passed by a large majority
of the House of Representatives.
The House of Bishops also voted as a
separate House, approving the motion, also by a large majority.
The
Motion was proposed by the Bishop of Cashel & Ossory, the Rt Revd
Michael Burrows, and seconded by the Bishop of Down & Dromore, the
Rt Revd Harold Miller.
In the course of the Synod debate it was stressed
that the word ‘subscribe' in relation to the Covenant, rather than
‘adopt', was important. Subscribing the Covenant is an indication that
the Church of Ireland has put its collective name to and aligned with
it.
The Covenant sits under the Preamble and Declaration of the Church
and does not affect the sovereignty of the Church of Ireland or mean any
change in doctrine.