Anglican Church of Canada’s prayer change marks a milestone

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 12/08/2023 (782 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

This summer, the Anglican Church of Canada voted to remove a prayer calling for the conversion of Jews from its Book of Common Prayer.

The vote, which took place at its synod in Calgary in late June and early July, was actually the second vote, or confirmation vote, about its removal. The first vote to expunge it took place at the previous Synod in 2019.

Practically speaking, that makes it old news. And few, if any, Anglicans today were actually using the prayer, titled “For the conversion of the Jews.” But given the rising tide of anti-Semitism in the world today, it’s no surprise its removal was greeted enthusiastically by Jewish media and community leaders — even if this year’s vote was just a formality.

Among those praising the move was the Canadian Rabbinic Caucus and the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, which released a statement about the vote.

“We commend the General Synod for this important decision,” said Rabbi Adam Stein of Congregation Beth Israel in Vancouver, on behalf of the two groups.

“Authentic interfaith dialogue requires respect. Any attempt by one to convert the other is the antithesis of respect. Changing this prayer represents a milestone in Anglican-Jewish relations and invites Anglicans to assume a reconciliatory stance with the Jewish community.”

In place of the old prayer is a new one, called “For reconciliation with the Jews.” Written in consultation with the Canadian Rabbinic Caucus, among other things it calls on Anglicans to pray for forgiveness for how the Church has treated Jews over the centuries.

I reached out to Primate Linda Nicholls, head of the Anglican Church of Canada, to hear her thoughts about the removal of the prayer and current relations with the Jewish community.

The removal of the prayer, and its replacement with a prayer for reconciliation, reflects “our inheritance as Christians” from the Jewish faith, she said, noting the two religions share the Hebrew scriptures.

While not abrogating the church’s traditional view of Jesus as saviour of the world, Anglicans want to “honour” the special relationship Jews have to God, she added.

Nicholls also emphasized the change is a way to address anti-Semitism, and any contribution the church might make to it through its official prayers and liturgies.

“We want to look out for any role we might play in it,” she stated, adding the church for too long has contributed to the persecution of Jews by blaming them for the death of Jesus. In that regard, “we have much to redress,” she said.

Nicholls went on to say she condemns anything that denies the right of Jews to exist as a people, or to practise their faith. “I stand strongly with them,” she said.

There are no specific Jewish-Anglican actions or dialogues planned now that the prayer has been removed, she said.

In fact, any followup has been made more difficult over tensions between the Canadian Jewish community and the Anglican Church over the church’s support for human rights in Palestine, Nicholls said.

This included a letter sent in by her and Bishop Susan Johnson of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada to the Canadian government in July about the situation in Palestine and Israel.

In the letter, the two voiced concern about settler violence against Palestinian communities and people, which “is increasing daily.” They also described how Christians in the Holy Land “are increasingly targeted for abuse and violence including their places of worship.”

While recognizing the right of the state of Israel to exist, and opposing violence by both sides in this conflict, the two church leaders urged the Canadian government to call to take a “just, constructive and human rights-based approach on Palestine-Israel issues, taking into account the extreme imbalance of power between Palestine and Israel and in line with international law and official Canadian foreign policy.”

The letter concluded by acknowledging “this is a complex conflict and believe Canada has an important role to play in advocating for peace and setting policies that will guide our voice and actions.”

For Nicholls, it’s important for the Anglican Church to “find a path that allows legitimate critique of Israel,” while advocating for Palestinian rights. She admitted it’s “not an easy line to hold,” and that some members of the Jewish community in Canada have been critical of the church’s stance.

No doubt, that Middle Eastern conflict will continue to make dialogue difficult. But maybe the formal removal of the prayer to convert Jews can be seen as a positive step. That’s how the Jewish Independent of Vancouver saw it. It called the decision a “monumental” move in the context of Jewish-Christian relations.

“The idea that Christianity is a replacement theology to Judaism — and that Jews should convert or disappear, with all that implies — prevailed for nearly 2,000 years,” it stated.

The “generosity of spirit evidenced by Canadian Anglicans (in expunging the prayer) are a welcome ray of light and warmth in a world that too often seems lacking in these elements.”

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