IRELAND
Irish Independent
THE Church of Ireland has become the first national province of the worldwide Anglican Communion to incorporate 'good practice' child protection measures in its constitution.
The decision was described by the Bishop of Cork, Paul Colton, as "an innovative lead within Anglicanism on the part of the Church of Ireland".
The three-day General Synod - the Church's parliament - which ends today also made provision in its ecclesiastical laws for the funding of two child protection officers, one full-time in the North, the other part-time in the Republic.
It also emerged at the Synod that the election for a successor to Archbishop Robin Eames, who will retire as Primate in December, will take place early next year. But the favourite to succeed him as Archbishop of Armagh, Dr John Neill, currently Archbishop of Dublin, declined yesterday to say if he would be a candidate.