Meeting in Niagara Falls, Ont., Apr. 11 to 15, the House of Bishops of the Anglican Church of Canada unanimously reaffirmed that the sacrament of the holy Eucharist is to be given only to those baptized in the Christian faith. “We do not see this as changing for the foreseeable future,” the bishops said in a statement released Apr. 15.
The affirmation came out of a discussion, led by the Right Rev. James Cowan, bishop of British Columbia on the concept of the “open table,” in which Holy Communion is made available to everyone who wishes to participate, whether baptized or not.
After the discussion small working group developed the statement to reflect the mind of the House. It acknowledged that “open table” is already being practised in some parts of Canada and that the practice “arises out of a deep concern to express Christian hospitality.” According to the release, “the bishops will discuss and offer guidance to the church on Christian hospitality and mission and how these relate to the Table of Christ” at their fall meeting, scheduled for November in Niagara Falls, Ont.
(Note: Corrections have been made to the last paragraph of this story, which originally stated that the next meeting is scheduled for October in Halifax.)
