Time for Action: Part 03, Extreme Subsidiarity
Time for Action is a series of posts detailing ACNAtoo’s July 15 open letter to Archbishop Foley Beach,
expanding on the action items listed and providing background regarding why they are of paramount importance and continue to deserve a public response.
Our open letter addressed a governance principle called subsidiarity described in the ACNA Constitution, Art VIII. Article VIII states that dioceses “shall each retain all authority they do not yield to the Province by their own consent.” The ACNA is structured in such a way that individual dioceses have the primary responsibility to set their own policies and agendas." In our July 15 letter, we included two action items related to subsidiarity:
We ask that the ACNA commits to no longer utilizing subsidiarity as the guiding principle in cases of abuse prevention or allegations. While this governance principle can work well in other instances, it opens up a huge potential for negligence and mishandling in cases of abuse.
To this end, we ask that consistent standards of abuse prevention and response be standardized across the ACNA and that dioceses are required to hold to a universal minimum standard of training established at the Provincial level.
While the principle of subsidiarity may seem arcane, it has very real implications for handling issues within the province. We affirm that the delegation of power in the ACNA Constitution, Art. VIII is, in many cases, a good thing; however, it prevents the province from responding to abuse at a diocesan level in a timely and effective manner to protect survivors or prevent more people from being harmed.
Furthermore, leaders need distance from abuse cases to be able to guide actions according to healthiest standards of care for victims, even at the expense of institutions. Allowing churches and dioceses to investigate themselves or handle things internally will never result in a fair process for survivors. No matter how hard churches try, it's nearly impossible for leaders to be objective about the possibility that their coworker in ministry could be an abuser. Removing the responsibility from the local church or diocese protects survivors and allows for more objective individuals to make decisions. This approach also protects church leaders from the unenviable position in which they have to take steps against a coworker, possibly damaging friendships or causing division within the church. In cases of abuse, subsidiarity can threaten the care Christ calls us to show to the hurting and afflicted.
To read the full letter and/or add your name to the growing list of signatories, you can access the original post here.