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LONDON: Panel of Reference: Statement concerning the Diocese of Connecticut
by Peter Carnley
1. We note the public press release on behalf of "the Connecticut Six" which has been drawn to the attention of members of the Panel through its wide public dissemination.
2. We note that the press release suggests that "we [the wardens of the parishes concerned] have had no contact with, or personal communication from, the Panel or the Archbishop." Our records show that Canon Daryl Fenton of the Anglican Communion Network had indicated throughout the correspondence on this matter that he is the nominated contact for the group, in line with the procedures set out in the protocols of the Panel of Reference published on the web.
Communications to the parties making the appeal on behalf of and at the request of the Chair of the Panel or of the Archbishop of Canterbury, were sent through Canon Fenton by Mr Christopher Smith at Lambeth Palace in September 2005, and by Dr Brian Hanson, Co-Secretary of the Panel, in December 2005, indicating exactly the progress of the reference to the Panel.
3. The AAC press release on behalf of the Connecticut Six states that they filed civil proceedings in late September 2005 after "months of inaction and delay by the Panel of Reference". In fact, the reference to the Panel was only received from the Archbishop of Canterbury on 24th October, 2005. The Panel was only notified by third parties of the civil proceedings initiated by the Connecticut parishes on 16th January 2006, in spite of the fact that the published guidelines request a stay on civil proceedings before the Panel takes on a reference.
4. Bishop Andrew Smith was notified six weeks after the date of reference of the reference to the Panel on 6th December 2005, after members of the Panel had been nominated to lead consideration of the reference and after an initial review of documentation had been prepared. This was on the same date that notification and a summary of the reference was sent to the parishes requesting the reference through Canon Daryl Fenton at the email address given.
5. The decision of the Archbishop of Canterbury to withdraw the reference to the Panel was notified in the same way to Canon Daryl Fenton on 6th March 2006, together with an indication that once the matter of civil proceedings was resolved (by stay of proceedings or other resolution in line with the published protocols of the Panel), the issue might be revisited, and response invited. No response was received.
6. The Diocese of Connecticut and Bishop Andrew Smith have at all times in their communications with the Panel co-operated fully with its work and signified their intention to co-operate with the progress of the Reference.
+Peter Carnley
Chair of the Archbishop of Canterbury's Panel of Reference
