A senior Primate, the Most Rev’d. Peter Carnley of Australia, has accepted the Archbishop of Canterbury’s request to serve as chair of “The Panel of Reference” created by Archbishop Williams in response to the request of the Primates Meeting in February.

Dr. Carnley is the Archbishop of Perth, Anglican Co-Chairman of Anglican Roman Catholic International Commission, a member of the original “Eames Commission” on Women in the Episcopate and was spokesperson for the Primates at their recent meeting in Ireland.

Membership of the Panel of Reference

Following the proposals made at the February 2005 Primates’ Meeting at Dromantine, the Archbishop of Canterbury recently announced the appointment of Archbishop Peter Carnley as the chairman of the Panel of Reference, and at the same time published the Mandate that establishes the Panel.

The Archbishop is pleased to announce now that the following clerical and lay members of churches of the Anglican Communion have accepted his invitation to become members of the Panel, and has expressed his great appreciation for their interest and commitment.

Chairman:

The Most Revd Dr Peter Carnley
retiring Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia

Members:

His Honour Michael Evans, QC
Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Governing Body of the Church in Wales

The Revd Dr Joseph Galgalo
Lecturer in Systematic and Contextual Theologies,
St Paul’s United Theological College, Limuru, Kenya

Mr Bernard Georges
Chancellor of the Province of the Indian Ocean

The Rt Revd Khotso Makhulu, CMG
former Primate of Central Africa

The Revd Canon John Moore
former International Director of the Intercontinental Church Society (ICS)

Mrs Rubie Nottage
Chancellor of the Province of the West Indies

The Rt Revd Claude Payne
former Bishop of Texas

The Rt Revd Dr John Sentamu
Bishop of Birmingham

The Rt Revd Maurice Sinclair
former Primate of the Southern Cone

Mr Robert Tong
Member, Church Law Commission, Anglican Church of Australia
and Chairman of the Council of the Anglican Church League, Australia

The Revd Stephen Trott
Church Commissioner, the Church of England

Ms Fung Yi Wong
Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui, member of the Standing Committee
of the Anglican Consultative Council

The Panel will be supported by Canon Gregory Cameron (Deputy Secretary General, Anglican Communion Office) as Secretary, and Canon John Rees (Legal Adviser, Anglican Consultative Council) as Legal Adviser, assisted by a senior member of Lambeth Palace staff in a liaison role for the Archbishop of Canterbury, together with other administrative support as required.

The first meeting of the Panel will take place at the earliest available opportunity, probably in July or August of this year, when it will establish its day-to-day modus operandi. In accordance with the provisions of the mandate, the Panel will consider only those items referred to it by the Archbishop of Canterbury, or a Primate of the Anglican Communion, in cases where mediation is sought by the Primate.

Contact with the members of the Panel should be through the Anglican Communion Office in London, although any persons wishing to invoke the Panel’s procedures should make contact, in the first instance, through the Chief of Staff to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Mr Christopher Smith, at Lambeth Palace. It is only by referral from the Archbishop that the Panel can take on the review of particular cases.

The functions of the Panel are as follows:

At the Archbishop’s request to enquire into, consider and report on situations drawn to his attention where there is serious dispute concerning the adequacy of schemes of delegated or extended episcopal oversight or other extraordinary arrangements which may be needed to provide for parishes which find it impossible in all conscience to accept the direct ministry of their own diocesan bishop or for dioceses in dispute with their provincial authorities

With the Archbishop’s consent to make recommendations to the Primates, dioceses and provincial and diocesan authorities concerned, and to report to him on their response
At the request of any Primate to provide a facility for mediation and to assist in the implementation of any such scheme in his own province.

The Archbishop of Canterbury issued the following directive in the forming of the panel:

Rowan Douglas by Divine Providence Archbishop of Canterbury Primate and Metropolitan to all to whom these presents shall come Greeting

Whereas it has been represented to the Primates of the Anglican Communion meeting in February 2005 that certain parishes have been unwilling to accept the direct oversight of their diocesan bishops and that certain dioceses are in dispute with their provincial authorities

And Whereas the Primates have recognised the principled concerns motivating those parishes and dioceses and acknowledge the various attempts which have been made to meet their difficulties

And Whereas the Primates have recommended that a body be established to
assist in the resolution of these difficulties

Now in pursuance of the Primates' recommendation: I direct that:

1. There shall be an advisory and consultative body to be known as The Panel of Reference (“the Panel”)

2. The members of the Panel shall consist of not less than nine persons qualified by professional and pastoral skills and experience and appointed by myself as necessary from time to time

3. The functions of the Panel shall be:

3.1 At my request to enquire into, consider and report on situations drawn to my attention where there is serious dispute concerning the adequacy of schemes of delegated or extended episcopal oversight or other extraordinary arrangements which may be needed to provide for parishes which find it impossible in all conscience to accept the direct ministry of their own diocesan bishop or for dioceses in dispute with their provincial authorities

3.2 With my consent to make recommendations to the Primates, dioceses and provincial and diocesan authorities concerned, and to report to me on their response

3.3 At the request of any Primate to provide a facility for mediation and to assist in the implementation of any such scheme in his own province
Provided always that the Panel shall in consultation with me have power to determine which classes or categories of cases fall within its competency to consider in line with the concerns expressed by the primates at their meetings in Dromantine in February 2005 and in Lambeth Palace in October 2003.

4. The Panel shall continue in existence for the period of five years or until I shall determine in consultation with the members of the Primates' Standing Committee that its functions have been fulfilled (whichever shall sooner occur)

And I request that:
The Secretary General of the Anglican Communion shall make provision for secretarial and administrative support to the Panel of Reference and its Chair to enable them to undertake this workAnd I call upon:

1. Each Primate or Moderator of the Communion which has such a scheme of delegation or extended episcopal oversight to lodge with me a copy of such scheme within 14 days of receiving this document and to notify me within 28 days following any change to such scheme

2. Each bishop of the Communion to respect fully and in accordance with its spirit any scheme of delegation or extended oversight established in his or her province

3. Each parish of the Communion which considers that in all conscience it cannot accept the direct oversight of its bishop to work with him or her in the first instance towards finding some appropriate means for delegated or extended episcopal oversight within the diocese and Province in which the parish is situated

4. The Instruments of Unity of the Communion to work tirelessly towards reconciliation and healing “that the world may believe.”

Dated this sixth day of May in the Year of Our Lord Two thousand and five

Rowan Cantuar