From the Bishop Ordinary of the Canadian Armed Forces

To my dear Sisters and Brothers in faith,

By now many of you will have heard that though the support for the Marriage Canon amendment within the Anglican Church of Canada increased significantly amongst the Laity (81%) and the Clergy (73%) it was insufficient amongst the Bishops (62%) and the amendment was lost on second reading. The recent changes to the composition of the House of Bishops had made this a distinct possibility and I came to Vancouver with trepidation and concern for the outcome of the second reading of the Amendment. Despite this intimation I was stunned when the vote was lost. It was heartbreaking to be in that room and hear the cries of anguish of those rejected yet again by the leadership of the church. This will not be the last word from the ACC on this matter and it will not determine the pastoral practice of Anglican chaplains who hold my liscence. A new Primate is to be elected today and following a briefing of the newly elected Primate I will be issuing a pastoral instruction to the Clergy of the AMO.