The Seventh Sharwood Lecture in Church Law (Sydney)

The seventh Sharwood Lecture in Church Law will be delivered in Melbourne and Sydney by The Right Reverend Dr Philip Freier, on Constitutional Anglicanism and the Synodal Governance Journey, discussing a critical review of the development and role of constitutional synodality in the 150 year history of the Anglican Church of Australia and more widely in the Anglican Communion, with insights into its intersection with more recent developments in the Catholic Church.

Bishop Freier was, from 2006 to 2025, the Archbishop of Melbourne and prior to that was the Bishop of the Northern Territory. From 2014 to 2020 he was the Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia, and since 2018 has been a member and co-chair of the Anglican-Roman Catholic Internatioal Commission (ARCIC–III). He holds a Doctorate of Philosophy, a Masters of Educational Studies, Bachelors degrees in Applied Science and in Divinity, and a Diploma of Education. In 2025, he was appointed as Chancellor of Federation University, based in Ballarat.

Date: Wednesday 13 May 2026

Time: 7.15pm, followed by light refreshments (Preceded by Evensong at 6.15pm, sung by the Choir of St James’ Church)

Venue: St James' Church, 173 King Street, Sydney NSW 2000 

RSVP: By 5pm, Wednesday 6 May 2026

Tickets: Free, but bookings essential.

Enquiries: St James Institute | institute@sjks.org.au | 02 8227 1300