Anglican Church Southern Queensland Initiates Apology Consultation Process for Impact on LGBTIQA+ Community.
In a significant step towards acknowledging past wrongs, the Anglican Church Southern Queensland has launched a consultation process inviting members of the LGBTIQA+ community, along with their families and friends, to share their experiences of the Church’s practices and attitudes. This move comes in response to a motion passed during the Diocese’s Synod in 2022, recognizing the harm caused and affirming efforts to support those affected.
The Synod, functioning akin to a parliamentary body, acknowledged that the Church’s historical attitudes and behaviours have created trauma, leading to the formation of a committee by the Diocesan Council. The committee, chaired by Peter Catt, aims to engage with the LGBTIQA+ community to develop a formal apology for the harm caused by the Anglican Church Southern Queensland’s treatment of sexually and gender diverse individuals.
“The Synod resolution demonstrated that we are aware that past practices and attitudes caused great harm to sexually and gender diverse people,” committee chair, Dr Peter Catt said.
Dr Catt stressed the importance of the listening process for understanding the nature and depth of injuries caused, with the ultimate goal of crafting a sincere and meaningful apology.
The committee is actively encouraging LGBTIQA+ individuals and their loved ones, who are presently or were previously connected to the Anglican Church Southern Queensland through parishes, schools, ministries, or other institutions, to share their experiences. Options include meeting with committee members or submitting written statements.
According to Dr. Catt, the feedback received regarding the Synod motion has been overwhelmingly positive, noting a growing awareness within the Church that sexually and gender diverse individuals are an integral part of the community.
“In the past, debates were often predicated, at least in part, on the idea that we were talking about people outside the Church.”
The committee plans to present the text of the apology along with a comprehensive report to the Diocese’s Synod in June 2024.
For those seeking additional information, the committee can be contacted via email at apology@anglicanchurchsq.org.au, and further updates are available on the Anglican focus news site.
