WEDNESDAY'S NEWS

Boards of Nomination - regulations changed
(from Elaine Whitehouse, Communications Dept, RCB)

The final bill of this year’s General Synod sought to entitle a board of nomination to meet before a parish becomes vacant. The private member’s bill, brought by Mr Wilfred Baker and the Ven Robin Bantry White, both of the Diocese of Cork, looks set to change the present regulations which preclude a board from meeting until a cure becomes vacant.

Proposing Bill No 17, Wilfred Baker told Synod members that long vacancies were common in Church of Ireland parishes and it would seem sensible to facilitate early filling of those vacancies in whatever way possible.

Mr William Ross of the Diocese of Derry objected to the Bill, saying that it would cause inequality between parishes because the length of vacancies varied so much. Mr Garrett Walker of Dublin Diocese was concerned to protect the rights of incumbents to change their minds and decide not to move, while the Rev Canon William Neely of Armagh Diocese was concerned that incumbents would have an undue influence on the appointment of their successors if boards of nomination were called while they were still in post.

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Supporting the Bill, Mr Ken Gibson of the Diocese of Connor told the Synod that his parish had experienced a lengthy and frustrating gap between rectors and it would have been good if the parochial nominators could have started work during that gap. Rev Canon Walter Lewis of the Diocese of Connor reinforced this point, saying that most incumbents gave adequate notice of leaving and this fact could be used to the benefit of parishes.

The legislation, which has now passed the first and second readings and will go through the final stages on Thursday, will allow a board of nomination to be called in circumstances of a prospective vacancy, for instance, where an incumbent has notified an intention to resign or retire on a particular date. An amendment brought by the proposer of the Bill added a clause requiring a written declaration of intent to resign or retire before the board of nomination could be summoned.

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