Friday, July 30, 2010

Anglican Communion Serves Irony-Rich Dessert

Some of my blogging friends and colleagues have done a fine job in commenting on the recently adjourned meeting of the Standing Committee of the Anglican Communion. I'm grateful for their commentary, for ... frankly ... I have grown weary of the whole Anglican Communion sturm und drang.

And Matthew Davies -- God's gift to Episcopal News Service! -- has provided fine journalistic posts about the meeting.

Tonight, when I read Matthew's final report on the the Standing Committee, I just had to howl with laughter.

Matthew begins his story: "The Standing Committee of the Anglican Communion adjourned its July 23-27 meeting here with its members celebrating a renewed focus on mission and greater commitment to transparency."

In the third paragraph, he quotes Bishop Ian Douglas:
Douglas said the committee, through the support of the Anglican Communion Office, "has pursued a course of transparency and open communication. . . ."
In paragraph 5:
"I actually believe that our functioning continues to improve," Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori told ENS. "The new commitment to transparency is already making a significant difference. Members are generally willing to speak clearly about their positions and beliefs."
Paragraph 6 immediately follows in the journalist's words: "Throughout the five days of closed sessions . . . ."

[LF: Emphasis added]

Can you restrain a guffaw? I could not.

Bishop Douglas applauds the committee's "transparency and open communication." Bishop Jefferts Schori hails "the new commitment to transparency." And all of it was done in "closed session."

1984, much?

Which will it be? Transparency? or closed meetings?

I understand the need for confidential discussions sometimes, and I recognize this may be one of those times in the life of the Anglican Communion. I do hope the members of the committee had productive discussions. I hope deeper understanding emerged.

But I think it is a rich irony when members emerge from a closed meeting, bragging about the group's transparency and openness.

Do you see something richly ironic in this? Or is it just me?

6 Comments:

Blogger Ann said...

I could hardly write the report for ECafe without laughing.

7/31/2010 6:12 AM  
Blogger Kirkepiscatoid said...

Well....

It's very TRANSPARENT that they are doing some kind of secret BS!

See? That's an improvement. They used to be OBTUSE and OBSCURING that they were doing some kind of secret BS.

Jeez, Lisa...Ann...don't you get it? ;-)

7/31/2010 7:12 AM  
Blogger June Butler said...

Why this latest burst of "transparency" only now? Followed by the report from the meeting of the Standing Committee from Dec. 2009 at The Lead? My thought is that we're getting more information now because a good many Episcopalians expressed their opinion that we should stop funding the meetings, and the members of the Standing Committee became concerned. Good. I hope they stay concerned. Still, to call the meetings "transparent" is a joke.

7/31/2010 8:03 AM  
Blogger Lisa Fox said...

Good, Ann. I'm glad I wasn't alone.

7/31/2010 4:13 PM  
Blogger Lisa Fox said...

Brilliant, Maria. Of course, now it's ever so clear. Thank you for your keen insight. :)

7/31/2010 4:13 PM  
Blogger Lisa Fox said...

Interesting notion, Grandmère. You may be on to something. And thanks for the link to that report at The Lead, which I had missed.

7/31/2010 4:15 PM  

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