THE rights and wrongs of hunting on church property, conditions in inner cities and the use of traditional language in services will be among the issues debated at the Church of England General Synod which meets next weekend in York.
The gathering will be the last for members of the current synod, which will be officially dissolved on the closing day. Its 550 members will have to stand for re-election for a place on the next synod, which will be formally opened by the Queen on November 13.
A private member's motion tabled by the Archdeacon of Colchester is likely to provide some of the liveliest debate at next weekend's meeting. The archdeacon is asking the synod to review critically hunting for sport and intensive farming on church-owned land, and to initiate a full theological exploration of human
responsibility towards animals.
Another major topic will be the situation in the inner cities, prompted by a report called "Living Faith in the City", which reviews the effect of the synod's 1986 report which sought to stimulate mission in inner-city areas of Britain.
The synod refused at its last meeting, in February, to extend beyond 1990 the use of the traditional f ems of service for weddings and funerals, but the issue will be debated again at next weekend's meeting and members will have the chance to vote on each service separately.
• The Revd Irene Templeton and the Revd Kathleen Young became the United Kingdom's first women priests last week when they were ordained at St Anne's Anglican cathedral in Belfast. This follows the Church of Ireland's decision by a two thirds majority to accept women into its ministry.