No candidate for Bishop of Northern Malawi: CEN 7.31.09 p 5. July 31, 2009
Posted by geoconger in Church of England Newspaper, Church of the Province of Central Africa, Fort Worth.comments closed
The sole candidate standing for election as Bishop of the Diocese of Northern Malawi has withdrawn from the Aug 1 election.
However, suggestions that the Very Rev. J. Scott Wilson, SSC of the Diocese of Forth Worth withdrew from the election after questions were raised about his being a member of the breakaway diocese are unfounded, The Church of England Newspaper has learned.
On July 22 the Daily Telegraph blogger Damien Thompson published an extract of an email he received from Anglican Information—a pressure group associated with the one-time bishop-elect of Lake Malawi, Ealing vicar the Rev. Nicholas Henderson.
Anglican Information claimed that Fr. Wilson, “formerly of Fort Worth diocese in the Episcopal Church of the United States has withdrawn his candidacy. Although he was runner-up to former Bishop Christopher Boyle (now retired to England) Wilson has left the Episcopal Church and actively joined a new breakaway faction in the United States known as ACNA (Anglican Church of North America). This has a very doubtful status in the Anglican Communion or with Canterbury. Bishop Trevor Mwamba of Botswana pointed out only last week that Wilson would not be able to subscribe to Canon 6 of the Provincial Canons as he is not in a Province in communion with Canterbury.”
On July 9 the Dean of the Church of the Province of Central Africa confirmed to CEN that Fr. Wilson was the sole candidate on the ballot in Northern Malawi. However, upon his return to Texas after a final visit in June to the diocese before the election, Fr. Wilson decided to stand down.
On July 27 Fr. Wilson told CEN that after prayerful consideration he did not believe he was called to be the bishop of the central African diocese. “I was not at peace” about this, he explained, adding he wrote to the vicar general of the diocese, the Rev. James Chifisi upon his return to Texas.
However, “at no time” was the question of his membership in the ACNA ever raised “by anyone connected” to the election, and it played no part in his decision to withdraw.
A spokesman for the Diocese of Fort Worth challenged the assertion that its clergy were not in communion with Canterbury, noting they were bona fide members of the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone, a status affirmed by the February primates meeting in Alexandria.
Although Fr. Wilson has withdrawn, the vicar general reports the election will go forward with a local candidate likely to be put forward for consideration.
The Diocese of Lake Malawi will also elect a bishop on Aug 1, completing the ranks of the provinces House of Bishops for the first time since 2005. After the two Malawi sees are filled, the province will then be able to elect a new archbishop to succeed Archbishop Bernard Malango—who stepped down in 2007. The Central African canons require a full House of Bishops to elect a new archbishop.
‘Buddhist Bishop’ rejected by TEC: CEN 7.31.09 p 5. July 31, 2009
Posted by geoconger in Church of England Newspaper, Northern Michigan.comments closed
| The election of America’s ‘Buddhist bishop’ has been vetoed by the bishops and diocesan standing committees of the Episcopal Church.
The February 21 election of Dr. Kevin Thew Forrester as Bishop of Northern Michigan was “null and void,” Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori announced on July 27, as he had not received the necessary “consents” from a majority of the church’s diocesan bishops and standing committees. Dr. Forrester’s rejection marks the first time in 77 years that the election of an American diocesan bishop has been repudiated by the Episcopal Church. In 1932, the election of the Dean of Arkansas as bishop of that southern diocese was rejected after protests were lodged that the diocese’s black clergy and lay delegates to the electoral synod had been disenfranchised. Under the American church’s canons, a newly elected bishop must receive the “consent” or approval of his election from a majority of diocesan bishops and standing committees within 120 days from the day after notice of his election. According to a tally kept by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Dr. Forester received consents from only 35 standing committees, while 65 refused to give their consent—-11 dioceses did not respond to the newspaper’s request to reveal how they had voted. Read it all in The Church of England Newspaper’s Religious Intelligence section. |
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‘A choice between two religions’: CEN 7.31.09 p 7. July 31, 2009
Posted by geoconger in 76th General Convention, Anglican Church of North America, Church of England Newspaper.comments closed
| US Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has decried the press coverage of the 76th General Convention, writing to the Episcopal Church the media has misinterpreted the key votes of the Convention in search of scintillating headlines.
However, the ACNA’s Archbishop Robert Duncan has claimed the votes to repudiate the communion’s moratoria on gay bishops and blessings and Bishop Jeffert Schori’s statement that it was heretical to believe “that we can be saved as individuals,” was further evidence of the Episcopal Church’s moral collapse. Read it all in The Church of England Newspaper’s Religious Intelligence section. |
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Scottish bishops oppose Trident: CEN 7.31.09 p 7. July 31, 2009
Posted by geoconger in Arms Control/Defense/Peace Issues, British Foreign Policy, Church of England Newspaper, Scottish Episcopal Church.comments closed
| The Bishops of the Scottish Episcopal Church (SEC) have written Prime Minister Gordon Brown urging the government to forgo its plans of replacing the Trident nuclear weapons system.
Last week the College of Bishops also endorsed a letter prepared by the convener of the SEC’s church in society committee the Rev. Ian Barcroft that called upon the government to place the decommissioning of Trident “on the table” at next May’s meeting of the Non-Proliferation Treaty review conference. “It is very difficult to defend the possession of weapons of mass destruction with a conditional intent to use them in terms of traditional Christian teaching,” Mr. Barcroft stated, adding that that it was impossible for Christian pacifists to accept Trident. Christians who believe that nuclear arms have a legitimate place in the country’s arsenal “would only do so in the context of a firm commitment to moving towards disarmament and ending reliance on weapons of mass destruction,” he said. Read it all in The Church of England Newspaper’s Religious Intelligence section. |
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Churches battle in California courts: CEN 7.29.09 July 29, 2009
Posted by geoconger in Church of England Newspaper, Los Angeles, Property Litigation, San Joaquin.comments closed
First published in The Church of England Newspaper’s Religious Intelligence section.
The California courts have handed the Episcopal Church and the ACNA a mixed bag of legal decisions this month in the battles over parish property. While both sides have trumpeted the importance of their legal victories, neither ruling is likely to settle the property litigation.
On July 21 the Fresno County Superior Court affirmed its May 5 ruling granting summary judgment in favor of the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin in its suit against the Anglican Diocese of San Joaquin, while an Orange County Court on July 13 dismissed two motions filed by the Diocese of Los Angeles against St James Church in Newport Beach, that challenged the legal sufficiency of the parish’s cause of action in light of the California Supreme Court decision in favor of the Diocese.
The Fresno Court found in favor of the Episcopal Diocese granting a motion for summary adjudication of the first cause of action in its second amended complaint, finding in favor of the Episcopal Diocese on all counts.
Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori—whose office has been allocated over $7 million by the General Convention to fund litigation against the breakaway groups—issued a statement after the ruling noting the “court found that there is no question that the Episcopal Church is a hierarchical church, of which the diocese is an integral part.”
The Presiding Bishop noted the Fresno court held “the Episcopal Church’s rules did not permit the diocese to revoke its accession to the church’s constitution and canons or to join a different denomination” and that the “continuing Diocese of San Joaquin is ‘not a new organization’ created after former Bishop Schofield attempted to remove the diocese from the church, but that the diocese ‘is the older organization from which (Schofield and the other) defendants removed themselves’.”
The decision, she said is the “first involving a dispute over the property of a diocese of The Episcopal Church, and is expected to be helpful in cases involving other dioceses.”
The Anglican Diocese of San Joaquin noted the decision was “significant” but it did not “end the case at this juncture and many more issues remain to be resolved at the trial scheduled for February 1, 2010.”
The Anglican Diocese rejected the trial court’s legal reasoning, arguing it could not be “sustained under a true ‘neutral principles’ analysis that is now required by our state supreme court,” and an appeal will be forth coming.
The legal significance of the Fresno Court’s ruling has also been questioned by legal commentators, who note that the current complaint before the court for consideration is the Episcopal Diocese’s fourth amended complaint. Issuing a decision on a the second amended complaint has no legal significance, it is said, as it had been rendered moot by two further amended complaints.
In the Orange Country, the Diocese of Los Angeles and the Episcopal Church were handed a defeat by the trial court on July 13 after Judge Thierry Colaw rejected its motions to grant it a summary verdict.
Los Angeles had argued that California Supreme Court’s 2009 decision had ended the litigation and had awarded it the disputed property. Lawyers for the diocese also argued that a 1991 letter written by the diocese to the parish waiving its interests in the parish property had already been decided by the Supreme Court.
Judge Colaw rejected both of the diocese’s arguments following oral argument on July 2. On Aug 21 the court will take up a motion from the parish asking it to remove the parish vestry as defendants in the case.
Anglicans oppose Shariah law in Kenya: CEN 7.29.09 July 29, 2009
Posted by geoconger in Anglican Church of Kenya, Church of England Newspaper, Islam, Politics.comments closed
First published in The Church of England Newspaper’s Religious Intelligence section.
Public hearings over Kenyan constitutional reforms lead to a shouting match and police intervention last week in Mombasa. The role of Sharia law within Kenya’s civil code prompted sharp disagreements between the Anglican Bishop of Mombasa, the Rt. Rev. Julius Kalu and Sheikh Khalifa Mohammad, chairman of the Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya (CIPK).
The push for constitutional reform in Kenya began in the early 90’s, but took on added intensity following the 2007 elections, that sparked communal violence in what had been one of Africa’s “model democracies”.
Opposition and civil society leaders have pushed for reforms that strengthens local governments and shifts power from the executive branch to the judiciary and parliament. However, debates over what form the reforms take have not reached a common mind.
The role of religion within the state has been one of the more contentious issues, with critics charging the government has fostered Muslim-Christian tensions in order to stave off reforms.
In Mombasa last week at a public hearing before the government’s Committee of Experts on the Constitution Review at the Aga Khan Hall Bishop Kalu said that Muslim demands that a separate Kadhi court system to adjudicate disputes between Muslims that would be guided by Sharia law would privilege Islam over other religions.
Bishop Kalu argued that independent Sharia courts were not necessary as freedom of religion was already enshrined in the constitution and the system of Khadhi courts subservient to the civil judicial system was fair and adequate. However Sheikh Muhammad argued this system was inadequate for Muslims, and urged Christians to be tolerant of Islam’s special needs.
A shouting match erupted between supporters of the bishop and the sheikh and police closed the hall and dispersed the crowd. Kenya’s newspapers reported that order was restored when the chairman of the Committee of Experts announced that they would no longer hear the views of religious leaders, but take their testimony in writing.
Anglican relationships with other religions are ‘damaged’: CEN 7.29.09 July 29, 2009
Posted by geoconger in 76th General Convention, Church of England, Church of England Newspaper.comments closed
First published in The Church of England Newspaper’s Religious Intelligence section.
A “disruption of fellowship” will likely result from the actions of the 76th General Convention, predicted the Bishop of Rochester in an American newspaper this week.
Writing in the Washington Times on July 27, the Rt. Rev. Michael Nazir Ali said the General Convention’s actions “will have caused a schism despite repeated entreaties by the rest of the communion not to take unilateral action that contravenes the teaching of the Bible, the unanimous teaching of the church down the ages and the understanding of the vast majority of Christians today. “
Bishop Nazir Ali declined to speculate on what actions would be taken on a communion wide level, but noted “there can be little doubt” that the votes to junk the moratoria on gay bishops and blessings will “further damage” fellowship among Anglicans and will spur “more talk of the rupture, impairment of communion and the like.”
The American decision to “walk apart” from the communion will “further damage ecumenical relations with other churches, such as the Roman Catholic, the Orthodox and various evangelical and Pentecostal bodies. Interfaith dialogue, especially with Muslims, also has been adversely affected, with dialogue partners asking how what they have hitherto regarded as a ‘heavenly religion’ can sanction a practice that most religions do not permit,” Bishop Nazir Ali added.
However, “those who remain orthodox in faith and morals” should understand that “any disruption of fellowship” within the Anglican Communion arising from the events of recent weeks, will be taken “for the sake of discipline and the eventual restoration of those who have chosen to go their own way to the common faith and life of the church,” he said.
Assurances on Convention Actions ‘Unpersuasive,’ Archbishop Says: Living Church 7.27.09 July 28, 2009
Posted by geoconger in 76th General Convention, Living Church.comments closed
First published in The Living Church.
The adoption of resolutions D025 and C056 by the 76th General Convention speaks to an unhealthy degree of theological ignorance and ecclesiastical incoherence at work within the higher councils of The Episcopal Church [TEC], Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams said in a statement released July 27.
While the adoption of resolutions on rites for the blessing of same-sex unions and the consecration of gay clergy to the episcopate have not created a de facto schism, they do signal TEC’s likely removal to the periphery of the life and witness of the Anglican Communion through the creation of a two-tier communion of covenanting and non-covenanting provinces, Archbishop Rowan Williams wrote.
A spokesman for the archbishop said the statement titled “Communion, Covenant and our Anglican Future” had been released via the Lambeth Palace website as a “reflection” on the actions of the General Convention.
Archbishop Williams offered thanks to the convention for the “generous welcome” extended to him, and acknowledged the concerns of many bishops and deputies for the wider Anglican Communion and for the “crushing” social and economic problems faced by the developing world. He also affirmed that he had received Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori’s and president of the House of Deputies Bonnie Anderson’s assurances that the passage of D025 and C056 did not “have the automatic effect of overturning the requested moratoria, if the wording is studied carefully” on gay bishops and blessings.
However, he said these assurances would not be found persuasive by some and would be “unlikely to allay anxieties” within the Communion that TEC was going its own way. There were “two points which I believe need to be reiterated and thought through further” by TEC, Archbishop Williams said.
By moving forward on same-sex blessings and gay clergy, TEC erred by not engaging in a “painstaking biblical exegesis” and seeking a “wide acceptance of the results within the Communion” as “a major change naturally needs a strong level of consensus and solid theological grounding.”
This work has not been done, Archbishop Williams wrote. He emphasized that “a blessing for a same-sex union cannot have the authority of the Church Catholic, or even of the Communion as a whole.”
Nor should any member of the clergy—bishop or priest—be “living in a sexual relationship outside the marriage bond,” Archbishop Williams said. The homosexual or unchaste heterosexual “chosen lifestyle is not one that the Church’s teaching sanctions, and thus it is hard to see how they can act in the necessarily representative role that the ordained ministry, especially the episcopate, requires.”
By permitting gay clergy and same-sex blessings without first “including in its discernment the judgment of the wider Church,” TEC risked “becoming unrecognizable to other local churches,” the archbishop wrote. The actions of General Convention necessarily reconceived “the Anglican Communion as essentially a loose federation of local bodies with a cultural history in common, rather than a theologically coherent ‘community of Christian communities’,” he said.
The way forward, Archbishop Williams said, was through an Anglican Covenant that provided structures of “mutual recognizability, mutual consultation, and some shared processes of decision-making.”
He acknowledged that within TEC “some will not choose this way of intensifying relationships,” but he believed that “it would be a mistake to act or speak now as if those decisions had already been made.”
The Anglican tradition had “thus far” been able to contain “diverse convictions more or less within a unified structure,” Archbishop Williams wrote. If the present structures “turn out to need serious rethinking,” this was not a statement of the “end of the Anglican way,” but an opportunity for a “new era of mission and spiritual growth for all who value the Anglican name and heritage.”
Episcopal Church tightens its belt: CEN 7.24.09 p 1. July 28, 2009
Posted by geoconger in 76th General Convention, Church of England Newspaper.comments closed
The Episcopal Church’s General Convention has adopted a $141 million austerity budget for the coming three years—an amount $12 million less than its last three year budget and $20 million below that authorized by the Church’s Executive Council in January.
Staffers at the national church offices in New York were the first to feel the effects of the reduced budget, with 37 employees, including the church’s national evangelism and women’s ministries officers made redundant in the closing days of the July 7-17 General Convention. The church’s overseas partners will see a reduction in support as well, with the proposed $600,000 per year contribution of the ACC cut by one third, while the line item “Anglican Communion” has been reduced from $5.6 to $3.4 million.
The austerity budget “reflects the scarcity that we are experiencing across the church,” Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori said on July 15. Approximately 60 percent of the church’s income comes from contributions from the dioceses, who are asked to give 21 percent of their income to New York.
Diocesan contributions are expected to decline from $90 to $79 million over the coming three years. Of the church’s 110 dioceses, only 27 contribute the requested 21 percent of income. To assist dioceses meet their target support levels, General Convention agreed to reduce the asking to 20 percent in fiscal 2011 and 19 percent in fiscal 2012.
Cuts were made in almost all categories, save for the office of the Presiding Bishop, whose overall budget increased by 15 percent. Included in the Presiding Bishop’s budget is a nine fold increase in anticipated legal fees to $3 million, and a 122 percent increase in Legal Assistance to Dioceses and Title IV—clergy disciplinary proceedings, to $4 million for the coming three years..
The inclusion of “$3 million during the next triennium for legal assistance to dioceses is an amount less than was spent during the current triennium to support Episcopal dioceses in reorganization that need to protect themselves against the loss of their property,” the notes to the budget stated.
Police investigate death of Australian priest accused of child abuse: CEN 7.24.09 p 6. July 28, 2009
Posted by geoconger in Abuse, Anglican Church of Australia, Church of England Newspaper.comments closed
The Church of England priest at the center of a child abuse scandal in Australia that led to the resignation of the former Archbishop of Adelaide has died under mysterious circumstances in Libya.
The Foreign Office has confirmed that the body of the Rev. John Mountford was discovered over the weekend in his apartment in Tripoli. Police are treating his death as a homicide.
Mountford, who served as chaplain at the Blue Coat School in Edgbaston, Birmingham, from 1987 to 1990, went out to Australia in 1991 to serve as chaplain of Adelaide’s St Peter’s College. In 1992 Mountford fled to Thailand after he was confronted with allegations that he molested a 14 year old student at the prestigious boys’ school.
Arrested by Thai police in 2004, Mountford was extradited to Australia a year later to stand trial. However, in 2007 the case collapsed after the victim declined to testify and Mountford left Australia for Libya where he founded an English-language school.
On June 11, 2004 the Archbishop of Adelaide, Dr. Ian George resigned eleven days after an independent report examining the diocese’s handling of Mountford and other clergy sexual abuse claims was made public.
The archbishop denied accusations that he protected Mountford, but correspondence obtained by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation showed that in 1993, Dr. George had written to Mountford saying he was “glad that you were not subjected to the pain, the humiliation and the public spectacle which the media would have relished in your case.”
Had Mountford remained in Adelaide, it was possible he would be “charged with an offence,” Dr. George told him, adding “You will see that I have done everything I can both to support you, and preserve your reputation.”
The current Archbishop of Adelaide, Dr. Jeffrey Driver told the AAP “this has been a sad and difficult experience.”
“A violent death is always a tragedy and causes shock and sadness for family and friends; I recognise that,” he said. “But I also recognise that reports of Mr Mountford’s death may stir difficult emotions for some and my thoughts and prayers are with them.”
Q+A with Robert Duncan: Christianity Today August 2009 p 17 July 25, 2009
Posted by geoconger in Anglican Church of North America, Christianity Today.comments closed
Read it all at Christianity Today.
The archbishop of the new Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) spoke with CT in Bedford, Texas, where conservatives constituted their alternative to the liberal Episcopal Church.
Q: What is going on here in Bedford?
A: Bedford for us Anglicans is the end of the beginning. We have struggled, some of our congregations for over 30 years, with issues that have been forced upon us by the Episcopal Church. We’ve come to a point where we are not operating in force anymore.
Q: Rick Warren told the ACNA not to be “reactionary,” what did he mean?
A: He means the war [in the Episcopal Church], it’s not yours anymore, that’s behind. God’s got a whole new work for you. We are trying to move on. Don’t be reactionary or reactive means get over the wounds, get over the hurts, get over the lawsuits, get over all the stuff.
Q: What is the ACNA’s plan to reach out to America?
A: We want to be clear that the congregation is God’s fundamental way of doing things, just like the family is God’s fundamental building block for society. And if the chief agency is the congregation, the chief agents are the individual Christians. We have to disciple. We have to teach people to love God … and share their faith. We have to teach them how to engage the world in service, in Christ’s love.
Q What is your message for Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams?
A: He should understand there really is realignment in Anglicanism. There is a new Reformation in the Christian West. I hope he sees the unity despite our diversity. It’s a unity in Christ. He should see the passion for mission. I trust he sees a people that look recognizably Anglican.
Q: What do you have to say to those who criticize the ACNA for being against gays?
A: Jesus was not against anybody. We’re not against anybody. Jesus came to die for all. The Father’s desire is to reach out to everyone—all of us are broken. What I hope people experience from us is the love of God. The starting place is meeting people where they are. What we have embraced as our clear statement is the transforming love of Jesus Christ. I hope that people come out and test us.
American dioceses allowed to create same-sex blessing rites: CEN 7.21.09 July 22, 2009
Posted by geoconger in 76th General Convention, Church of England Newspaper.comments closed
| The Episcopal Church has given carte blanche to its liberal dioceses to create and celebrate rites for the blessing of same-sex unions.
On July 15 the House of Bishops meeting at the 76th General Convention in Anaheim, Calif., endorsed resolution C056, which called for an “open process for the consideration of theological and liturgical resources for the blessing of same gender relationships.” The resolution, which was adopted by the Convention’s House of Deputies on July 17 permits dioceses and congregations to “collect and develop theological, and liturgical resources” for gay blessings and directs them to report on their work to the next meeting of General Convention in 2012. The resolution also permits Bishops in states where gay marriage or same-sex civil unions are lawful to authorize same-sex rites by providing “generous pastoral response to meet the needs of members of this Church.” The resolution has the effect of maintaining the legal status quo on gay marriage in the Episcopal Church, as it does not add same-sex blessings to the Book of Common Prayer or alter its rubrics by changing the language of man and women in the marriage ceremony to man/man or woman/woman. However, it does remove any impediment or disciplinary sanction for violating Prayer Book rubrics by authorising the introduction of supplemental rites authorised on the diocesan level for trial use, giving progressive dioceses the de facto authority to introduce gay marriage. Read it all in The Church of England Newspaper. |
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34 US Bishops ‘will observe moratoria’: CEN 7.21.09 July 22, 2009
Posted by geoconger in 76th General Convention, Church of England Newspaper.comments closed
| Thirty-four American bishops have announced they will honour the calls for restraint made by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Anglican Communion, and have issued a letter of dissent from the actions of the 76th General Convention.
The 34: including 27 diocesan bishops, five suffragans and assistants, and two retired bishops, affirmed their desire to conform the discipline of the Episcopal Church while also complying with the requests made by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the 2008 Lambeth Conference, the Primates’ Meetings and ACC-14 to observe a moratoria on same-gender blessings, cross-border interventions and the ordination of gay and lesbian people to the episcopate. Read it all in The Church of England Newspaper. |
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US Church—we have not breached moratoria: CEN 7.21.09 July 22, 2009
Posted by geoconger in 76th General Convention, Church of England Newspaper.comments closed
| The US Episcopal Church’s General Convention did not breach its self-imposed moratoria on gay bishops and blessings, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and the President of the House of Deputies, Mrs Bonnie Anderson have claimed.
In letters dated July 16 and 17 written to the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams, Bishop Jefferts Schori defended the actions of General Convention. Resolution C056, which authorized dioceses to “collect and develop” same-sex blessings rites, and encouraged a “generous pastoral provision” of support for gays and lesbians, including offering gay blessings rites “does not authorize public liturgical rites for the blessing of same-gender unions,” said Bishop Jefferts Schori and Mrs Anderson on July 17. Read it all in The Church of England Newspaper. |
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Bishop authorizes same-sex blessings: CEN 7.20.09 July 21, 2009
Posted by geoconger in Anglican Church of Canada, Church of England Newspaper, Human Sexuality --- The gay issue.comments closed
| The Bishop of Niagara has authorized his clergy to begin offering blessings of same-sex couples starting from September 1.
In an explanatory note posed on the diocese’s website, the Niagara Rite was authorized by Bishop Michael Bird for the “voluntary use of priests who wish to offer a sacrament of blessing regardless of the gender of the civilly married persons who wish to receive the blessing of the church and wish to affirm their life commitment to each other before God in the community of the church.” The note added stated rite was a means “for the church to extend affirmation, support, and commitment to those who present themselves seeking a sign of God’s love in response to the love and commitment they express for each other and have already affirmed in a civil ceremony,” and was designed for the blessing of “any couple who have been civilly married.” Read it all in The Church of England Newspaper. |
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US Bishops vote to abandon Anglican moratoria: CEN 7.17.09 July 21, 2009
Posted by geoconger in 76th General Convention, Church of England Newspaper.comments closed
| The Episcopal Church’s House of Bishops has voted to end the Church’s compliance with the Windsor Report and the Anglican Covenant process by relaxing the ban on the consecration of gay and lesbian clergy to the episcopate.
On a roll call vote held on July 13, the bishops voted 99 to 45 with two abstentions to adopt resolution D025.On July 8 and 13 the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams urged the bishops to reject the pleas of the American church left to dump the ban imposed in 2006 by Resolution B033. The House also ignored the pleas of former Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold, who brokered the compromise resolution. On July 10, Bishop Griswold addressed the House, drawing upon memories of his first Convention in 1976 and the controversies then raging over the ordination of women and prayer book revision. When we “arrive with fixed and passionate points of view” to Convention, we sometimes find our “fixity becomes more malleable,” he said, adding that he had “seen that process occur by the work of the Holy Spirit,” and expected the “mystery of intervention will occur once again.” Read it all in The Church of England Newspaper. |
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Evangelicals attack General Convention vote: CEN 7.17.09 p 7. July 21, 2009
Posted by geoconger in 76th General Convention, Church of England Newspaper.comments closed
| Evangelical leaders in Britain and the US have denounced the Episcopal Church’s vote to end the ban on gay clergy, saying it represents a break with the Anglican Communion, a repudiation of the Windsor process and the proposed Anglican Covenant, and a snub of the Archbishop of Canterbury.
On July 13, the House of Bishops meeting at the 76th General Convention adopted resolution D025 its 2006 pledge banning the consecration to the episcopate of clergy in active same-sex relationships. On July 14 the House of Deputies ratified the bishops’ vote by a 72 to 28 per cent margin, formally adopting the resolution. In a July 8 sermon to the General Convention, Dr Rowan Williams pleaded with the US church for restraint. He thanked them for their invitation to California and for the opportunity “to share something of my mind with you; and so thank you too for your continuing willingness to engage with the wider life of our Communion. Read it all in The Church of England Newspaper. |
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US Bishops set to authorize same-sex rites: CEN 7.17.09 p 6. July 21, 2009
Posted by geoconger in 76th General Convention, Church of England Newspaper.comments closed
The Bishops of the Episcopal Church are expected to authorize gay blessings this week at the 76th General Convention, placing the church on a collision course with the Anglican Communion.
Meeting in Anaheim, Calif. for the Episcopal Church’s General Convention, on July 12 the bishops agreed to end the church’s self-imposed ban on consecrating gay clergy as bishops, and on July 13 began debate on proposals to preparing formal rites for the blessing of gay civil unions.
The gay blessings bill, resolution C056 would allow dioceses in states that have adopted gay marriage laws: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Iowa, Massachusetts and Connecticut to offer “a generous pastoral response,” including blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples.
Speaking on behalf of the legislative drafting committee Bishop Jeffrey Lee of Chicago said the resolution “calls for the development of rites for blessing and a theological rationale” for same-sex unions and “helps to define ourselves in relation to the Anglican Communion.”
A conservative amendment was offered by the Suffragan Bishop of Maryland John Rabb, restricting the language of the bill to dioceses located in states that had same-sex marriage laws.
However, Bishop Gene Robinson of New Hampshire objected saying the “reality of marriage of same gender couples is that it coming to you soon.”
Bishop Robinson then questioned the conditional language of the resolution, objecting to the use of the word ‘may’ as opposed to the word ‘shall’ in directing bishops to authorize the same-sex rites. It “implies a bishop might not” offer pastoral blessings. “I would argue that all of us are about providing generous pastoral responses.”
Pastoral “generosity for a few is not generosity,” Bishop Eugene Sutton of Maryland argued. “How can you apply this to one group?”
The amendment was defeated as was a second conservative amendment that sought to forestall the creation of trial rites will a study process was underway. Bishop Pierre Whalon of Europe said he did not want to hold the church’s doctrine hostage to liturgists. “A lot of theology has been done by liturgists without recourse to wider theological considerations,” in recent years, he said. I do “not want to continue that practice.”
Former liturgy professor Bishop J. Neil Alexander of Atlanta said that he “saw no evidence that Eucharist or baptism” waited “upon a committee” before it was celebrated by the early church. “Collecting and analyzing rites is part of the theological work,” he said.
The Rt. Rev. Clifton Daniel of East Carolina rose to ask the conservative bishops in the House to speak. Your “silence is ominous,” he said.
The Bishop of Springfield rose to Bishop Daniel’s challenge. “Why waste time? Why waste my time. Why waste your time?” with these debates. “I believe this is another clear instance of the Church being shaped by the secular culture rather than the secular culture being shaped by the Church.”
This “takes is farther away from the Windsor Report,” he said.
Lexington Bishop Stacy Sauls then rose and offered what he said was his “most important thing I have ever said” to the House. “Thirty-six years ago our church responded to secular culture by allowing divorced persons,” adding that “remarriage after divorce was the moral equivalence of adultery.”
This was a greater change to the nature of marriage than same-sex blessings, he argued, and urged the House to support those gays and lesbians who “seek to live in a morally equivalent way.”
The Bishop of Iowa rose to offer an amendment, and the Presiding Bishop prorogued the session, forming an ad hoc committee to report back to the bishops on July 15 for final consideration of the resolution.
US vote ‘not a snub to Archbishop of Canterbury: CEN 7.17.09 July 21, 2009
Posted by geoconger in 76th General Convention, Church of England Newspaper.comments closed
| The US General Convention’s endorsement of gay bishops and blessings and the sharp cut in funding for the Anglican Consultative Council was not a calculated snub of the Archbishop of Canterbury or the Anglican Communion, but an honest statement of the Episcopal Church’s economic and theological realities, bishops and deputies tell Religious Intelligence.
On July 15, the Church endorsed a new three-year budget that included a one-third cut in its contribution to the ACC — from $600,000 to $400,000 per year, while the House of Bishops gave their approval to the “local option” for same-sex blessings. Deputy Sally Johnson of Minnesota said the votes on gay bishops and blessings were an “honest” statement of the church’s views on these questions. “It is difficult to have deep meaningful conversation” within the Anglican Communion “without honesty,” she said. The Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams “told us to be truthful” on July 8. “We were,” Ms Johnson said. Read it all in The Church of England Newspaper. |
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English Church attacks Swedish same-sex blessing move: CEN 7.15.09 July 21, 2009
Posted by geoconger in Church of England Newspaper, Church of Sweden.comments closed
| The Archbishops’ Council of the Church of England has released a withering critique of last month’s decision by the Church of Sweden’s Central Board authorizing rites for the blessing of same-sex unions. The June 26 letter said the move will impair relations between the two Churches and threaten the “fragile unity” of the Anglican Communion.
Written by the Rt Rev Christopher Hill on behalf of the Council for Christian Unity and the Rt Rev John Hind on behalf of the Faith and Order Advisory Group to the Archbishop of Uppsala, the letter said the adoption of same-sex blessings by the Church of Sweden was “problematic.” “Although there is continuing debate among Anglicans about human sexuality, the teaching and discipline of the Church of England, like that of the Anglican Communion as a whole as expressed in the Lambeth Conference of 1998, is that it is not right either to bless same-sex sexual relationships or to ordain those who are involved in them.” Read it all in The Church of England Newspaper. |
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Court questioned on law: CEN 7.10.09 p 7. July 20, 2009
Posted by geoconger in Church of England Newspaper, Property Litigation.comments closed
A Los Angeles-area parish has asked the United States Supreme Court to decide if canon law trumps civil law in church property disputes.
On June 24, St James Anglican Church in Newport Beach, California, a member of the Western Diocese of the newly formed Anglican Church in North America (ACNA), filed a petition for writ of certiorari with the US Supreme Court in Washington, asking the federal court to overturn the January ruling of the California Supreme Court that allowed “hierarchical” churches to create a lien interest on parish property without first seeking the permission of the parish.
Constitutional scholar John Eastman will serve as lead counsel for the congregation and former US Attorney General Edwin Meese will serve as co-counsel.
St James will argue that the California court’s interpretation of state law violates the First Amendment of the US Constitution, which prohibits the establishment of religion. California has given a “preference to certain kinds of churches that claim to be hierarchical, that other churches and non-religious associations are not entitled to, and that violates the establishment clause,” Dr. Eastman said.
“We will also be arguing that denying the local church community their ability to organize and hold title to their own building and conduct their religious services in a manner they see fit, this California decision violates their right to the free exercise of religion,” he added.
Canon law commentator A.S. Haley stated the issue before the court was whether the California Supreme Court erred in interpreting federal court precedent and the California Corporations Code by “impermissibly” giving preference to “self-proclaimed hierarchical denominations” like the Episcopal Church over other churches. By taking upon itself the authority to decide the disputed question whether the Episcopal Church is “hierarchical,” the court intrudes into “areas of religious doctrine and polity in violation of the First Amendment’s Establishment and Free Exercise clauses,” he said.
Less than one hundred of the thousands of petitions submitted to the US Supreme Court are heard each term, and a decision whether the court will entertain the appeal will be made by the first Monday of October.
Bishops back deposing of Honduras president: CEN 7.10.09 p 6. July 20, 2009
Posted by geoconger in Church of England Newspaper, Honduras, Politics.comments closed
The Roman Catholic Church has thrown its support behind opposition leaders in Honduras, and has backed the ouster of President Manuel Zelaya.
Speaking on national television on July 4 the Archbishop of Tegucigalpa, Cardinal Oscar Andrés Rodríguez said the removal of President Zelaya from power by the Army, which was acting upon the orders of the Supreme Court, was lawful.
On June 28, a warrant was issued by the Supreme Court and the Attorney General’s Office for the arrest of President Zelaya charging him with treason. In the early morning hours, soldiers escorted the pajama-clad president from the presidential palace to the airport, and deported him to Costa Rica.
The confusion surrounding the coup has prompted a mixed international reaction, with the Obama administration in the United States siding with Raul Castro of Cuba, Daniel Noriega of Nicaragua and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela calling for the return of Honduras’ left-wing president. However, Honduras civil and government leaders have moved firmly against Zelaya, who had sought to overturn the constitution forbidding him a second term in office.
Cardinal Rodríguez called upon the Organization of American States (OAS) and other world leaders to reconsider their support of Zelaya.
On July 3, Honduras withdrew from the OAS after a failed attempt by its president José Miguel Insulza to broker a return to power for Zelaya.
“’To the Organization of American States, please pay attention to everything illegal that was happening before the 28th of June,” Cardinal Rodríguez said. “This is a community that will define our own destiny without any unilateral pressures. We renounce any blockades, which will only hurt the poor.”
The Anglican Bishop of Honduras, the Rt. Rev. Lloyd Allen writes the situation in the countryside is calm, with tensions centered in the capital, while missionaries in the capital tell The Church of England Newspaper the situation on the ground is confused. In an email sent to the Diocese of Central Florida, the Rev. Richard Kunz wrote that on July 5 supporters and opponents of the ousted president took to the streets.
Speaking via radio broadcast from a plane en route to Honduras from Venezuela, Zelaya told supporters to make ready for his return. The army responded by parking trucks on the runway of the Tegucigalpa airport. Zelaya’s plane circled the city, but then flew on to El Salvador.
Fr Kunz wrote that as the day progressed, “tensions mounted. At one point, some of the demonstrators made an attempt to break through the fence and get onto the runway. There was stone throwing and tear gas and confusion, and also some shots.”
However, the “flare-up” of violence was brief, he wrote, and the “demonstrators remained peaceful for the rest of the time.” Fr. Kunz added that those trying to follow events on Honduran television or radio “were often frustrated. Frequently the present government took over the airwaves, blocking all other news. And when news was on, it was amazing to me just how much coverage Michael Jackson got.”
Church leaders welcome review of India’s anti-conversion laws: CEN 7.10.09 p 6. July 20, 2009
Posted by geoconger in Church of England Newspaper, Church of North India, Persecution.comments closed
Church leaders in India have welcomed the pledge by leaders of the country’s coalition government to review anti-conversion laws.
Last week federal Home Minister P. Chidambaram said the government, led by the Indian National Congress Party, would examine state laws that criminalize conversion, or performing a conversion or baptismal rite without first informing the government.
The Rt Rev Dhirendra Kumar Sahu, the retired Bishop of the Church of North India’s Diocese of the Eastern Himalayas and current general secretary of the National Council of Churches of India, welcomed the government initiative.
“The anti-conversion laws curtail the freedom of the common people. These laws are often misused,” Bishop Sahu told the UCA News.
CNI General Secretary Dr. Enos Das Pradhan stated the review was a positive step for religious freedom. It permitted “people to practice and profess their religion in their own way,” he said.
Hindu militant groups have targeted Christian churches, claiming that many converts had been enticed into leaving Hinduism by fraud, financial inducements or threats.
Christian social services agencies have come under fire from Hindu militant groups, who claim the health, education and economic assistance programmes offered by churches are stalking horses for conversion programmes. The BJP Hindu nationalist party has also proposed laws in some states where it controls the legislature that would redraft the conversion laws, criminalizing the conversion of Hindus to Christianity while permitting the conversion of Christians to Hinduism.
New bid to elect bishop in Central Africa: CEN 7.10.09 p 6. July 20, 2009
Posted by geoconger in Church of England Newspaper, Church of the Province of Central Africa.comments closed
The House of Bishops of the Church of the Province of Central Africa has scheduled episcopal elections for Aug 1 for the Dioceses of Lake Malawi and Northern Malawi.
Lake Malawi has been without a bishop since the death of Bishop Peter Nyanja in 2005. On July 29, 2005 the Vicar of Ealing the Rev. Nicholas Henderson was elected bishop of the rural Central African diocese. However, the election was challenged over procedural irregularities and on the grounds that his theological views evidenced by his onetime leadership of the Modern Church Peoples’ Union made him unfit for office. A court of confirmation led by Archbishop Bernard Malango in November of that year declined to affirm his election.
In 2007 the House of Bishops rejected an appeal lodged by supporters of Fr. Henderson and ordered a new election. However the Elective Assembly was prorogued on Feb 5, 2008 after a court issued an injunction on behalf of the “House of Laity of the Diocese of Lake Malawi” who charged that the required three month notice had not been met.
The names of the candidates for Lake Malawi have not yet been released, but Fr. Henderson is understood not to be under consideration.
Only one candidate is presently on the ballot for election as Bishop of Northern Malawi to succeed the Rt. Rev. Christopher Boyle, who was named Assistant Bishop of Leicester in March. The Very Rev. J. Scott Wilson, SSC, rector of All Saints Church in Weatherford, Texas in the Diocese of Forth Worth has extensive contacts with the diocese and was runner up to Bishop Boyle in the last election in 2001.
News of the new elections was released by the province after the consecration of Bishop Brighton Malasa as Bishop of Upper Shire on June 7 at Sts Peter and Paul Cathedral in Mangochi on June 7.
The President of Malawi, Bingu wa Mutharika urged the new bishop to be faithful to his office and asked all Malawians to “care, support and love one another so as to bring hope to those who have lost it in this life.”
Arkansan holds Episcopal purse strings: Arkansas Democrat Gazette 7.18.09 p 14 July 19, 2009
Posted by geoconger in 76th General Convention, Anglican Album (Photos), Arkansas Democrat Gazette.comments closed
Special to the Democrat-Gazette/GEORGE CONGER Pan Adams-McCaslin of West Memphis served as chairman of the Episcopal Church's Program, Budget and Finance Committee, helping to craft a $150 million budget that will control spending from 2010-2012. She was a key figure at the denomination's 76th General Convention, which ended Friday in Anaheim, Calif.
See the story for this article written by the Democrat Gazette‘s Frank Lockwood.
‘Defense of Marriage’ Concern Will Get Further Review: TLC 7.17.09 July 19, 2009
Posted by geoconger in 76th General Convention, Living Church.comments closed
First published in The Living Church.
During the final business session of General Convention on July 17, the House of Bishops turned back Resolution C023: Same-Sex Unions—Defense of Marriage Statutes, voting to refer the resolution to a standing committee of The Episcopal Church in the final legislative act at the Anaheim Convention Center.
The Rt. Rev. John B. Chane, Bishop of Washington, presented the resolution on behalf of the National and International Concerns Committee, urging concurrence with the House of Deputies in endorsing the resolution.
However, during the bishops’ private table groups, concerns were raised over the entanglement of the church in the political arena. The resolution calls upon “all Episcopalians to work against the passage of so-called ‘Defense of Marriage’ state statutes and state constitutional amendments, and, in states where such statutes or constitutional amendments already exist, to work for their repeal.”
The Bishop of Oklahoma, the Rt. Rev. Edward J. Konieczny, told the house he was concerned by the call for “all Episcopalians” to agitate for the repeal of the laws. He questioned the wisdom of having the church direct its members on such a divisive political issue.
Bishop Porter Taylor of Western North Carolina asked that the resolution be sent to a committee for review over the next triennium. No debate was held and it passed on a voice vote with minimum opposition.
The House of Deputies then received the resolution, and in the last legislative act of the convention, concurred with the bishops’ request, prompting the president of the house, Bonnie Anderson, to note this was the first convention in her memory that ended early with all outstanding legislative matters addressed.
Bishops Defeat Resolution on Mideast Violence: TLC 7.17.09 July 19, 2009
Posted by geoconger in 76th General Convention, Living Church.comments closed
First published in The Living Church magazine
The House of Bishops of General Convention has rejected a resolution that condemns violence in the Middle East after opponents criticized its language for being unbalanced, anti-Israel and un-Anglican
Offered by the Committee on National and International Concerns, the House of Deputies endorsed a substitute Resolution B027: Peace between Israel and Palestine. The 12-part resolution called for peace in the Middle East and supported the two-state solution in resolving the crisis in Israel and Palestine.
However, the Rt. Rev. Edward S. Little II, Bishop of Northern Indiana, protested language in the legislation, which singled out Israel as the aggressor and the Palestinians as the victims in the conflict. Bishop Little said he stood not in support of the separation barrier — the wall built by Israel to protect itself from attack — but “to take a stand against terrorism”
The Rt. Rev. Marc Andrus, Bishop of California, disagreed. “The wall does not contribute to the lessening of suicide bombing,” he said, but a “tool” that “supports the illegal settlements” built by Israel on the West Bank.
The Bishop of New York, the Rt. Rev. Mark Sisk, stated that ascribing all the blame to Israel “is incorrect.”
The resolution eventually failed on a show of hands, 43 to 53.
The Bishop of Missouri July 18, 2009
Posted by geoconger in 76th General Convention, Anglican Album (Photos), Living Church.comments closed
he Rt. Rev. George Wayne Smith, Bishop of Missouri, checks a message during General Convention while on an escalator in the Anaheim Convention Center
Ouster of Honduran President Supported: TLC 7.17.09 July 18, 2009
Posted by geoconger in 76th General Convention, Honduras, Living Church.comments closed
In a late session of General Convention on Friday, the House of Bishops beat back a push to gut a resolution calling for The Episcopal Church to back the people of Honduras in the face of sanctions leveled by the Organization of American States (OAS) in the wake of the ouster of President Mel Zelaya.
Resolution B031 — Hope for Reconciliation in Honduras — was adopted after passionate pleas of support from the current and former Bishops of Honduras, the Rt. Rev. Lloyd Allen and the Rt. Rev. Leo Frade. Bishop Frade denounced assertions the removal of President Zelaya last month was a coup. He said the former leader had been lawfully removed from office after being arrested on a charge of treason. He also denounced as racist and colonialist the mindset that Americans could better determine the course of Honduran democracy than the people of that Central American country.
Adopted with amendment by the House of Deputies on July 16 following a floor fight between deputies from Honduras who prepared the resolution and deputy Sarah Lawton of California who sought to remove language critical of the OAS, the resolution was presented to the bishops.
Bishop Allen described the grinding poverty of the country. He said members of the Episcopal Church of Honduras were found primarily in the country’s scattered villages and amongst the urban poor. The witness of The Episcopal Church had always been to serve the “poor and needy,” he added.
Bishop Allen said he was a member of no political party, but was concerned “solely for my 156 congregations.” Endorsing the resolution would place The Episcopal Church squarely on the side of the people and of justice, he argued, urging support for the resolution.
“We cannot apply U.S. laws to Honduras,” Bishop Frade said.
The resolution was adopted by the house unanimously.
Roll call votes on key issues: TLC 7.17.09 July 17, 2009
Posted by geoconger in 76th General Convention, Living Church.comments closed
First published in The Living Church.
Resolutions D025 and C056 sparked three roll call votes during the House of Bishops’ sessions of the 76th General Convention in Anaheim, Calif.
The Rt. Rev. Kenneth Price, Bishop Suffragan of Southern Ohio, told the house on July 15 that the official tallies from the votes on D025 that rescinded the moratorium on gay bishops, on a motion offered by the Rt. Rev. Sean Rowe, Bishop of Northwestern Pennsylvania to discharge C056, and the final vote on C056 which authorized the collection and development of rites for the blessing of same-sex liturgies, would not be complete until the end of convention. The hand tallies taken by the six tellers at the meetings needed to be reconciled, he said.
Bishop Price reported that Resolution D025 was adopted by a vote of 99 yes, 45 no, 2 abstained.
The Rowe amendment was defeated on a vote of 94 no, 42 yes, 1 abstentions. Resolution D058 was passed on a vote of 104 yes, 30 no, 2 abstentions, Bishop Price said. .
Roll call votes are taken in the House of Bishops in order of seniority taken in order of consecration. The senior bishop present for the votes, the Rt. Rev. David Reed, retired Bishop of Kentucky, is Bishop 603 — the 603rd bishop consecrated to serve The Episcopal Church since its creation. The junior bishop is the Rt. Rev. J. Scott Mayer, Bishop of Northwest Texas — Bishop 1035 in order of consecration.
Bishops are listed in order of consecration. The votes are in this order: D025, Rowe, and C056.
David B. Reed, Retired Bishop of Kentucky (y y y)
William Frey, Acting Bishop of the Rio Grande( n _ _ )
Otis Charles. Retired Bishop of Utah (y n y)
Gerald McAllister. Retired Bishop of Oklahoma (n_ _ )
Rustin Kimsey. Assisting Bishop for Alaska (y_ _ )
Herbert A. Donovan. Assisting Bishop of New York (y_ _ )
James H. Ottley. Assisting Bishop of Long Island (y n y)
Leopold Frade. Bishop of Southeast Florida (y n y)
Peter Lee. Bishop of Virginia (y y n)
Don Wimberly, Retired Bishop of Texas (_ _ n)
Robert Ladehoff, Retired Bishop of Oregon (y n _ )
Douglas Theuner, Retired Bishop of New Hampshire. (y n y)
Arthur Williams, Jr., Retired Bishop Suffragan of Ohio ( y y _ )
E. Don Taylor, Assistant Bishop of New York ( _ y y)
Jeffery Rowthorn. Retired (American Churches in Europe) (n y n)
Orris G. Walker, Bishop of Long Island (y _ _ )
Frederick Borsch. Retired Bishop of Los Angeles (y_ _ )
Christopher Epting. Bishop for Ecumenical Relations (y _ _ )
Barbara Harris. Assisting Bishop of Washington (y n y)
John Buchanan, Provisional Bishop of Quincy (y n y)
Robert H. Johnson, Assisting Bishop of Pittsburgh (y y y)
Sanford Hampton, Assisting Bishop of Oregon (y n y)
John W. Howe. Bishop of Central Florida (n y n)
Sergio Carranza-Gomez, Assistant Bishop of Los Angeles (y n y)
Edward L. Salmon. Retired Bishop of South Carolina (n y n)
Charles Keyser. Assisting Bishop of Florida (y y y)
Huntington Williams, Retired Suffragan, North Carolina (y _ y)
Chester L. Talton. Bishop Suffragan of Los Angeles (y n y)
Victor Scantlebury, Assisting Bishop of Chicago (a n a)
Steven Charleston, Assistant Bishop of California (y n y)
Jerry A. Lamb, Provisional Bishop of San Joaquin (y n y)
Alfred C. Marble. Assisting Bishop of North Carolina (y n y)
Peter Beckwith. Bishop of Springfield (n y n)
James Stanton. Bishop of Dallas (n y n)
Jean Duracin. Bishop of Haiti (n y n)
F. Clayton Matthews, Office of Pastoral Development (y n _ )
James Jelinek, Bishop of Minnesota (y n y)
Edwin Gulick, Bishop of Kentucky and Provisional, Fort Worth (y n y)
Russell E. Jacobus. Bishop of Fond du Lac (n y n)
M. Thomas Shaw SSJE, Bishop of Massachusetts (y n y)
Alfredo Morante, Bishop of Litoral Ecuador (n n y)
Kenneth Price, Bishop Suffragan of Southern Ohio. (y n y)
Henry I. Louttit. Bishop of Georgia. (n n n)
Dorsey F. Henderson. Bishop of Upper South Carolina. (y n y)
Rev. David Jones. Bishop Suffragan of Virginia (y n y)
Catherine S. Roskam. Bishop Suffragan of New York (y n y)
Geralyn Wolf. Bishop of Rhode Island (n y n)
William Skilton. Assistant Bishop of the Dominican Republic (n y n)
Andrew Smith, Bishop of Connecticut (y _ _ )
Carolyn Irish. Bishop of Utah (y n y)
Paul V. Marshall. Bishop of Bethlehem (y n y)
Clifton Daniel. Bishop of East Carolina (y n y)
Henry Parsley. Bishop of Alabama (n y y)
Gordon Scruton. Bishop of Western Massachusetts (a n y)
F. Neff Powell. Bishop of Southwestern Virginia (y _ y)
Richard Chang. Retired Bishop of Hawai’i (y n y)
Rodney Michel. Assisting Bishop of Pennsylvania (y n y)
Catherine Waynick. Bishop of Indianapolis (y n y)
Bruce Caldwell. Bishop of Wyoming (y n y)
Charles Jenkins. Bishop of Louisiana (n n y)
Barry Howe. Bishop of West Missouri (y n y)
Chilton Knudsen. Retired Bishop of Maine (y n y)
Mark S. Sisk. Bishop of New York (y n y)
Wayne Wright. Bishop of Delaware (y n y)
John Rabb. Bishop Suffragan of Maryland (n n y)
John Croneberger, Assistant Bishop of Bethlehem (_ n y)
Charles von Rosenberg Bishop of East Tennessee (y y n)
William Persell. Retired Bishop of Chicago (y n y)
Keith Whitmore. Assistant Bishop of Atlanta (n n y)
The Rt. Rev. J. Michael Garrison. Bishop of Western New York (y n y)
D. Bruce MacPherson. Bishop of Western Louisiana (n y n)
Wendell N. Gibbs, Bishop of Michigan (y n y)
George Packard, Suffragan, Armed Services (n n y)
Edward Little, Bishop of Northern Indiana (n y n)
J. Jon Bruno.,Bishop of Los Angeles (y n y)
Michael B. Curry. Bishop of North Carolina (y n y)
Duncan Gray III. Bishop of Mississippi (n y n)
William O. Gregg. Assistant Bishop of North Carolina (y n y)
Stacy Sauls. Bishop of Lexington (y n y)
James Curry. Bishop Suffragan of Connecticut (y n y)
Wilfrido Ramos-Orench. Bishop of Central Ecuador (y _ _ )
James Waggoner, Bishop of Spokane ( _ n y)
David Jung-Hsin Lai. Bishop of Taiwan (n y n)
Katharine Jefferts Schori. Presiding Bishop (y n y)
Roy F. Cederholm Jr., Bishop Suffragan of Massachusetts (y n y)
Thomas C. Ely, Bishop of Vermont (y n y)
Philip Duncan. Bishop of Central Gulf Coast (n n n)
Don E. Johnson. Bishop of West Tennessee (y n y)
Neil Alexander. Bishop of Atlanta (y n y)
Francisco Duque. Bishop of Colombia (n y _ )
Michie Klusmeyer, Bishop of West Virginia (n y y)
The Rt. Rev. Lloyd Allen. Bishop of Honduras (n y n)
Gladstone B. Adams, Bishop of Central New York (y n y)
Pierre Whalon, Convocation of American Churches in Europe (y n y)
Marc Andrus, Bishop of California (y n y)
G.W. Smith, Bishop of Missouri (y n y)
James M. Adams, Bishop of Western Kansas (n y n)
John Chane. Bishop of Washington (y n y)
Gayle Harris. Bishop Suffragan of Massachusetts (y n y)
J.J. “Bud” Shand, Bishop of Easton (n n y)
Alan Scarfe. Bishop of Iowa (y n y)
David Alvarez, Bishop of Puerto Rico (y _ _ )
Joe Burnett, Bishop of Nebraska (y n y)
C. Franklin Brookhart, Jr., Bishop of Montana (y y y)
Rayford High, Bishop Suffragan of Texas (n n y)
Robert O’Neill, Bishop of Colorado (y n y)
George Councell, Bishop of New Jersey (y n y)
Steven A. Miller, Bishop of Milwaukee (n n y)
S. Johnson Howard, Bishop of Florida (n y n)
V. Gene Robinson, Bishop of New Hampshire (y n y)
Dean Wolfe, Bishop of Kansas (y n y)
Gary Lillibridge, Bishop of West Texas (n y n)
Kirk S. Smith, Bishop of Arizona (y y y)
Mark Hollingsworth, Jr., Bishop of Ohio (y n y)
Michael Smith, Bishop of North Dakota (n y n)
G. Porter Taylor, Bishop of Western North Carolina (y n y)
Bavi Rivera, Bishop Suffragan of Olympia (y n y)
James Mathes, Bishop of San Diego (y n y)
Edward Ambrose Gumbs, Bishop of Virgin Islands (n y n)
David Reed, Bishop Suffragan of West Texas (n y n)
S. Todd Ousley, Bishop of Eastern Michigan (y n y)
William Love, Bishop of Albany (n y n)
Barry Beisner, Bishop of Northern California (y n y)
Dena Harrison, Bishop Suffragan of Texas (n y n)
Nathan Baxter, Bishop of Central Pennsylvania (y n y)
Larry R. Benfield, Bishop of Arkansas (y n y)
Mark Beckwith, Bishop of Newark (y n y)
John C. Bauerschmidt, Bishop of Tennessee (n y n)
Dabney Smith, Bishop of Southwest Florida (n y y)
Robert Fitzpatrick, Bishop of Hawaii (y y y)
Thomas Breidenthal, Bishop of Southern Ohio (y n y)
Shannon Johnston , Bishop Coadjutor of Virginia (n n y)
Laura Ahrens, Bishop Suffragan of Connecticut (y n y)
Sean Rowe, Bishop of Northwestern Pennsylvania (n y y)
Edward J. Konieczny, Bishop of Oklahoma (n y n)
Gregory Rickel, Bishop of Olympia (y n y)
Mary Gray-Reeves, Bishop of El Camino Real (y n y)
Dan Edwards, Bishop of Nevada (y n y)
John Sloan, Bishop Suffragan of Alabama (y y y)
Mark J. Lawrence, Bishop of South Carolina (n y n)
Jeffrey Lee, Bishop of Chicago (y n y)
Sylveste Romero, Assistant Bishop of New Jersey (y _ _ )
Stephen Lane, Bishop of Maine (y n y)
Prince Singh, Bishop of Rochester (y n y)
Eugene Sutton, Bishop of Maryland (y n y)
Paul Lambert, Bishop Suffragan of Dallas (n y n)
Brian Thom, Bishop of Idaho (y n y)
Andrew Doyle, Bishop of Texas (n y n)
Herman Hollerith, Bishop of Southern Virginia (y n y)
J. Scott Mayer, Bishop of Northwest Texas (_ y y)
Bishops Say No to Adding List of Matriarchs: TLC 7.16.09 July 17, 2009
Posted by geoconger in 76th General Convention, Hymnody/Liturgy, Living Church.comments closed
First published in The Living Church.
The House of Bishops has rejected a resolution calling for the inclusion of a list of matriarchs of Israel for use in a trial revision of Eucharist Prayer C of Rite II of the Book of Common Prayer. The action took place at the General Convention July 17 in Anaheim, Calif.
Offered as a trial rite by its backers for use by the church until the publication of the next Book of Common Prayer, Resolution C077 sought to replace “patriarchal” language with an inclusive lineage, substituting “Lord God of our Fathers; God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” with “Lord God of our ancestors; God of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Rachel and Leah, [God of _____.]”
On behalf of the Prayer Book, Liturgy and Church Music Committee the Rt. Rev. Wayne Smith of Missouri recommended the house reject the changes.
The Rt. Rev. Barry Beisner of Northern California supported the change, and sought to preserve the bill by referring it to a committee for further study. He said in his diocese Prayer C was a “popular prayer,” yet it was also “problematic.” The “tinkering that goes on with it” in parish use was evidence the language needed to be reformed.
The Bishop of Milwaukee, the Rt. Rev. Steven Miller, said the addition of names to the prayers could be overdone. “I rise in honor of Bilhah and Zilpah,” he quipped. Bilhah was Rachel’s handmaid and bore Jacob two sons, Dan and Naphtali, while Zilpah was Leah’s handmaid and mother of Gad and Asher.
“All art reflects its time and place,” Bishop Miller said. He added that Eucharist Prayer C was now seen as a relic of the 1970s and the “most dated” of the liturgies. He urged retention of the traditional phrasing of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, noting that it was “code language” in “our liturgical life.”
However, the Bishop of Central Pennsylvania, the Rt. Rev. Nathan Baxter, urged further study of Prayer C. “Some in our diocese refer to this as the Star Wars liturgy,” — a reference to the passage “At your command all things came to be: the vast expanse of interstellar space, galaxies, suns, the planets in their courses, and this fragile earth, our island home.”
Yet others “honor creation and diversity” through its language, he said. Adding the matriarchs to the patriarchs adds to the “richness” of our worshiping life, he argued, reminding the bishops that its language had value for portions of the church.
Following further brief discussion, the resolution was put to a vote and rejected.
Dissenting Bishops Issue ‘Anaheim Statement’: TLC 7.17.09 July 17, 2009
Posted by geoconger in 76th General Convention, Living Church.comments closed
Twenty-nine bishops have endorsed a letter affirming their desire to remain part of the Anglican Communion and Episcopal Church while being faithful to the calls for restraint made by the wider church.
Styled as the “Anaheim Statement,” the letter of dissent to the actions of the 76th General Convention pledged the bishops’ fealty to the requests made by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the 2008 Lambeth Conference, the primates’ meetings and ACC-14 to observe a moratoria on same-gender blessings, cross-border interventions and the ordination of gay and lesbian people to the episcopate.
In the hours after its release, the statement drew support from 23 diocesan bishops, four suffragan and assistant bishops, and two retired bishops and included bishops who voted on both sides of D025 and C056 — resolutions that rescinded the ban on two of the three Windsor Report moratoria.
Rising to speak on a point of personal privilege during the House of Bishops afternoon session July 16, the Rt. Rev. Gary W. Lillibridge of West Texas read a statement prepared by an ad hoc committee of concerned bishops.
“At this convention,” Bishop Lillibridge said, the house had “heard repeated calls for honesty and clarity” on The Episcopal Church’s stance on the contested issues surrounding sexual ethics. The attempts to “modify wording which would have been preferable to the minority in the vote were respectfully heard and discussed, but in the end most of these amendments were found unacceptable to the majority in the House.”
The votes on Resolution D025 and C056 had made it clear that a majority of bishops believed it was time to “move forward on matters of human sexuality.” While grateful for the “clarity” these votes had brought, Bishop Lillibridge asked his fellow bishops to join him seeking “to find a place in the Church we continue to serve” and endorse a five-point statement of loyalty to the Communion.
The statement:
* reaffirmed the bishops’ “constituent membership in the Anglican Communion, our communion with the See of Canterbury, and our commitment to preserving these relationships”;
* reaffirmed their “commitment to the doctrine, discipline, and worship of Christ as this Church has received them”;
* reaffirmed their “commitment to the three moratoria requested of us by the Instruments of Communion”;
* reaffirmed their “commitment to the Anglican Communion Covenant process currently underway, with the hope of working toward its implementation across the Communion once a Covenant is completed”;
* reaffirmed their “commitment to ‘continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship’ which is foundational to our baptismal covenant, and to be one with the apostles in ‘interpreting the Gospel’ which is essential to our work as bishops of the Church of God.”
At the close of the afternoon session, 20 bishops endorsed the letter, with nine morre adding their names during the evening.
“This was not a statement of division,” the Rt. Rev. Edward J. Konieczny, Bishop of Oklahoma — a conservative leaning bishops who had not signed the statemen —said at a news briefing after the session. It was a “statement of unity” that acknowledged “we have listened to one another intently.”
The House of Bishops’ second media spokesman, the Rt. Rev. James Mathes of San Diego and a supporter of the actions taken this week in the House of Bishops, said he believed the statement offered “clarity of where they are.”
A copy of the letter has been forwarded to the Archbishop of Canterbury. Its initial signatories include:
The Rt. Rev James Adams, Western Kansas
The Rt. Rev Lloyd Allen, Honduras
The Rt. Rev David Alvarez, Puerto Rico
The Rt. Rev John Bauerschmidt, Tennessee
The Rt. Rev Peter Beckwith, Springfield
The Rt. Rev Franklin Brookhart, Montana
The Rt. Rev William Frey, Rio Grande
The Rt. Rev Dorsey Henderson, Upper South Carolina
The Rt. Rev John Howe, Central Florida
The Rt. Rev Russell Jacobus, Fond du Lac
The Rt. Rev Don Johnson, West Tennessee
The Rt. Rev Mark Lawrence, South Carolina
The Rt. Rev Gary Lillibridge, West Texas
The Rt. Rev Edward Little, Northern Indiana
The Rt. Rev William Love, Albany
The Rt. Rev Bruce MacPherson, Western Louisiana
The Rt. Rev Alfredo Morante, Litoral Ecuador
The Rt. Rev Henry Parsley, Alabama
The Rt. Rev Michael Smith, North Dakota
The Rt. Rev James Stanton, Dallas
The Rt. Rev Pierre Whalon, Convocation of American Churches in Europe
The Rt. Rev Paul Lambert, Suffragan-Dallas
The Rt. Rev David Reed, Suffragan-West Texas
The Rt. Rev Sylestre Romero, Assistant– New Jersey
The Rt. Rev John Sloan, Suffragan–Alabama
The Rt. Rev Jeffrey Rowthorn, Retired-Convocation of American Churches in Europe
The Rt. Rev Don Wimberly, Retired-Texas
Bishops Agree on Mary’s Virginity: TLC 7.16.09 July 17, 2009
Posted by geoconger in 76th General Convention, Living Church.comments closed
First published in The Living Church magazine.
The House of Bishops affirmed the virginity of Mary the Mother of God during its July 16 morning legislative session at the 76th General Convention.
In a jocular debate that spoke to the exhaustion many of the bishops are feeling on the ninth business day of the convention, the bishops amended resolution A099 Lesser Feasts and Fasts: Additional Commons, adding the word “virgin” before the name of the Mother of God in collects offered for the use by the church.
The Rt. Rev. Wayne Smith, Bishop of Missouri, presented the resolution, noting that there had been some concerns expressed in committee hearings about the commons used for the Mother of God. There were “three ways to refer to her: Mary the God-bearer, the theotokos; Mary of Nazareth; and the Blessed Virgin Mary,” he said. Bishop Smith said using these varied terms underscores the theological diversity of views held within the Episcopal Church on the person and charism of Mary.
Bishop Michael Smith of North Dakota stood and said “I rise in defense of our Lady,” eliciting guffaws from the house. Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori noted, “I don’t think she needs it,” to more laughter from the bishops. Bishop Michael Smith then offered an amendment inserting the word “virgin” before Mary’s name where used in the new collects, stating that the church’s teaching on the virginity of the Mother of God should be underscored in the new rites.
The Rt. Rev. Otis Charles, retired Bishop of Utah, spoke in opposition, stating “the term theotokos stands by itself.” Mary the god-bearer was a term of “long tradition and honorable to Our Lady.”
Bishop Wayne Smith accepted the amendment, suggesting that Mary be styled, “the Blessed Virgin Mary, the god-bearer.” The Charles amendment was accepted by voice vote, with limited opposition.
The Bishop of Albany, the Rt. Rev. William Love, rose to support the amended resolution saying he could “imagine all the spin that would come out of this convention” if the resolution was rejected. He said the headline “Episcopal Church Denies the Virginity of Mary” was one he did not wish to read, eliciting cries of ‘shame’ from the bishops present.
Bishop C. Franklin Brookhart of Montana reminded the house of the words of the Chalcedonian Creed: “Mary the Virgin, the God-bearer, the theotokos,” and urged adoption of the resolution. It passed unanimously.
Retired bishops keep their vote: TLC 7.16.09 July 17, 2009
Posted by geoconger in 76th General Convention, Living Church.comments closed
First published in The Living Church magazine.
The House of Bishops has rejected the second reading of a constitutional amendment that would have stripped retired bishops of their vote in meetings of the house.
During Thursday morning’s business session of the House of Bishops at General Convention in Anaheim, Calif., the bishops voted 72-39 to refer resolution A052: Amending Article 1, Section 2 of the Constitution, to committee. Moves to strip retired bishops of their vote in the House of Bishops began in the 1940s, and failed at the 1979, 1988 and 1997 General Conventions.
The present amendment had its first reading at the 2003 General Convention and was adopted. The House of Bishops amended and adopted the resolution at its second reading in 2006 with the House of Deputies concurring.
The resolution was presented by the Committee on the Constitution with a recommendation to concur. The Rt. Rev. Charles Keyser, assisting bishop in the Diocese of Florida, objected.
“This convention has been about inclusion and enfranchisement,” he said. “Now one of our first orders of business has been disenfranchisement.”
Bishop Keyser urged the house to address the concerns over retired bishops’ voting practices by judicious amendment of the canons, “fixing this not with a shotgun, but a surgical approach.”
The Rt. Rev. Geoffrey Rowthorn, retired Bishop of the American Convocation of Churches in Europe, urged the house to reject the constitutional amendment. Some of the members of the house seemed to be in dread of the “retired bishops’ gang,” who “rode into town” to “vote on the wrong side” of contentious issues.
Bishop Rowthorn said fears of a political manipulation by conservatives of the bishops’ proceedings were misplaced. Of the retired bishops present for the vote on Resolution D025, which ended the church’s ban on gay bishops, “22 had voted yes, and 4 no,” he said.
The Bishop of New Jersey, the Rt. Rev. George Counsell, noted he had voted in favor of the amendment in 2006 but would now vote against, as he believed the issue was “not jurisdictional but theological.”
The Rt. Rev. Dabney Smith, Bishop of Southwest Florida moved the matter be referred to a standing committee for review. The motion passed on a show of hands, 72-39, effectively killing the amendment for the fourth time in 30 years.
Primate calls for reformation of church and state: CEN 7.10.09 p 7. July 16, 2009
Posted by geoconger in Anglican Church of Kenya, Church of England Newspaper.comments closed
| The Primate of Kenya has called for a reformation of church and state, urging the government and the Anglican Communion to be faithful to their founding principles.
On July 5, Dr Eliud Wabukala was installed as Archbishop and Primate of the Anglican Church of Kenya at a five hour service at All Saints Cathedral in Nairobi and affirmed his support for his predecessor’s — Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi’s — support for the Fellowship of Confessing Anglican movement seeking the reform and renewal of the Anglican Communion. “We are in a state of brokenness because the truth of the Scripture has not been upheld in some provinces,” Archbishop Wabukala said, and called “on all Anglicans to come together again around the Gospel.” Read it all in The Church of England Newspaper. |
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Members of new Unity, Faith and Order committee named: CEN 7.10.09 July 16, 2009
Posted by geoconger in Anglican Consultative Council, Church of England Newspaper.comments closed
| The roster for the Inter-Anglican Standing Committee for Unity, Faith and Order (IASCUFO) has been named by Lambeth Palace. The new committee, under the chairmanship of the Primate of Burundi, Archbishop Bernard Ntahoturi has been tasked by Dr Rowan Williams to promote the “deepening of Communion” with other ecclesial entities and offer advice on questions of “faith and order”.
IASCUFO carries on the work of IASCER and IATDC—the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Ecumenical Relations and the Inter-Anglican Theological and Doctrinal Commission. Members of the super commission, include: Bishop Titre Ande of Aru in the Congo, Archdeacon Dapo Asaju of Lagos State University, Nigeria, Dr. Paul Avis of the Church of England, Bishop Philip Baji of Tanga, Tanzania, Dr. Alyson Barnett-Cowan of the Anglican Church of Canada, Dr John Gibaut of the World Council of Churches, Bishop Howard Gregory of Montego Bay, West Indies, Dr Katherine Grieb of the Virginia Theological Seminary, Canon Clement Janda of the Episcopal Church of the Sudan, Dr Edison Muhindo Kalengyo of Uganda Christian University, Bishop Victoria Matthews of Christchurch, New Zealand, Dr Charlotte Methuen of Oxford University, Dr Simon Oliver of the University of Nottingham, Bishop Stephen Pickard, the Assistant Bishop of Adelaide, Dr Andrew Pierce of the Irish School of Ecumenics, Dr Michael Nai Chiu Poon of Trinity Theological College, Singapore, The Rev Sarah Rowland Jones of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, Dr Jeremiah Yang of Sheng Gong Hui University, Korea and Bishop Tito Zavala of Chile. An initiative first suggested by the Windsor Continuation Group and brought to the 2008 Lambeth Conference, the first meeting for the new super committee will be in December in Canterbury. However, funding for the committee and its work remains precarious. Read it all in The Church of England Newspaper. |
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Fijians ‘are not rapists,’ says Bishop: CEN 7.10.09 July 16, 2009
Posted by geoconger in Anglican Church of Aotearoa New Zealand & Polynesia, Church of England Newspaper, Popular Culture.comments closed
| Fijians are not rapists, the Bishop of Vanua Lavu said this week following the release of a report by the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre (FWCC) on violence against women in the Pacific Island nation that criticized the country’s sexual and social mores.
Speaking to the Fiji Times, the Rt Rev Apimeleki Qiliho questioned the FWCC’s conclusions saying he did not believe that “indigenous men are always making the decisions in the marriage [about sexual relations] and not really allowing their wives to say what they want.” He claimed the report prepared by the FWCC’s coordinator Shamina Ali was racist and sexist. It “suggests that a majority of indigenous men force their wives to have sex and I strongly disagree,” the bishop said, adding “I don’t force my wife to have sex.” Read it all in The Church of England Newspaper. |
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Bishops Call for Development of Liturgies for Same-Sex Blessings: TLC 7.15.09 July 16, 2009
Posted by geoconger in 76th General Convention, Living Church.comments closed
The House of Bishops on Wednesday adopted a substitute version of Resolution C056, calling for the church to collect and develop “theological resources and liturgies for the blessing of same gender relationships.”
The resolution permits bishops in states where same-sex marriage or civil unions are legal to “provide a generous pastoral response” to same-sex couples, which could include pastoral rites for the blessing of same-sex unions, effectively compounding the repudiation of the Windsor Report process and the proposed Anglican Covenant by repudiating Resolution B033 of the 75th General Convention.
After two postponed sessions, debate resumed on C056 during the bishops’ Wednesday afternoon session. An ad hoc working group of 26 bishops presented a substitute for C056. It was led by Bishop Pierre Whalon of the American Convocation of Churches in Europe and Bishop Thomas Ely of Vermont, and included a cross section of the house, from Bishop Edward Little of Northern Indiana to Bishop V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire.
The substitute sought to assuage fears from conservatives by substituting language calling for the “design” of liturgies with that of “collecting and developing” them. Bishop Robinson contended that “to design liturgies was different” from studying them. “If at some point we were to have liturgies,” he said, this resolution would help the church see “what they would look like.”
Bishop Stephen Charleston, Assistant Bishop of California, spoke of his discomfort with the language of collecting, arguing that “to collect implies no movement.” However, he understood the resolution sought to walk the “fine line between pushing toward doing something and standing still.”
Bishop Steven Miller of Milwaukee said that the working group believed the language put forward meant to say “see, here is what it might look like.”
Bishop Sean Rowe of Northwestern Pennsylvania rose and moved an amendment to discharge the resolution. “I believe this is exactly what we don’t want to do, he said. “It continues to legislate matters that require discernment.”
The church should “allow people the personal generosity” to engage in study in this area, he said, “without legislation.” The Rt. Rev. Kirk Smith of Arizona concurred, saying the House of Bishops needed to “find a way out of the box” of finding a legislative solution to a theological problem. “I would prefer a pastoral letter” to the church on this question, he noted.
Bishop Robert Fitzpatrick of Hawaii suggested perhaps “it is better to be silent” on these things and “allow the conversation to continue.” And Bishop Andrew Rowe of Texas observed that “discharge is a legislative act,” and would be useful way forward in the circumstances.
But Bishop Robinson objected, saying “we don’t need to demonize the legislative process.” Bishop John Chane of Washington added that “we are a legislative body. To discharge this dishonors the process of calling us together.” Bishop M Thomas Shaw of Massachusetts agreed that it was a “misunderstanding to say discernment doesn’t happen through the legislative process.”
A roll call vote on Bishop Rowe’s motion to discharge was taken and it failed 94 to 42, with 1 abstention. The resolution as a whole was put to a vote and it was adopted 104 to 30, with 2 abstentions.
Episcopal bishops approve same-sex blessing: Washington Times 7.16.09 p A5 July 16, 2009
Posted by geoconger in 76th General Convention, Washington Times.comments closed
ANAHEIM, Calif. | U.S. Episcopal Church bishops authorized the church to draft a proposed blessing for same-sex couples Wednesday here at the Episcopal General Convention, although the measure still needs approval of the priest and lay delegates.
On Tuesday, the church decided to permit gay bishops, which passed 99-45 among the bishops and by a 72 percent to 28 percent margin among the church’s deputies.
Read it all in The Washington Times.
News Analysis—Pushback in HOB on Gay Blessings: TLC 7.15.09 July 15, 2009
Posted by geoconger in 76th General Convention, Living Church.comments closed
Read it all in The Living Church
Resistance has grown within the House of Bishops to adopting Resolution C056: Liturgies for Blessings which would authorize local pastoral rites for the blessing of same-sex unions.
The hesitation over endorsing gay blessings comes not from a lack of votes for passage, or from fears of an international backlash from the Anglican Communion or the Archbishop of Canterbury. Rather, there is a sense that the progressive agenda can only go so far before a second conservative exodus takes place.
From the tenor of the debates this week, and the evidence of the house’s 99-45 vote on Monday to overturn the ban on gay bishops, support for gay blessings has a solid base of political support. This marks a political shift of the house over the past five conventions, such that when he spoke on July 10, former Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold found himself on the conservative wing of the house.
Gay blessings were raised during the 2003 General Convention, Bishop John Chane of Washington told The Living Church, but the vote to confirm the election of V. Gene Robinson as bishop, coupled with the press of other business, made it clear “the time was not right.”
However, “now is the time to proceed with these rites,” Bishop Chane told the house on July 14. The debate that followed indicated a majority of the bishops were ready to go.
The first sign that all was not well arose when Bishop Dean Wolfe of Kansas rose at the start of the C056 debate and cautioned the house against offering aggressive amendments. “Sometimes it takes very little” to “move us from agreement to division,” he observed. He asked the bishops to practice a “generous orthodoxy” to the conservative minority who might be troubled by same-sex blessings.
After twenty five minutes of debate, with only the acting Bishop of the Rio Grande, the Rt. Rev. William Frey, rising to speak in opposition, Bishop Clifton Daniel of East Carolina told the house the lack of input from the conservative side made him uneasy. The “silence is ominous,” he observed, adding “I need your voice to inform my conversation.” Bishop Peter Beckwith of Springfield responded by asking “Why waste time? Why waste my time? Why waste your time?”
Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori prorogued debate to the afternoon, and the afternoon’s debate was then postponed to Wednesday. Suggestions that delay could be postponed such that the convention would not be able to take up the resolution sparked outrage from Bishop Marc Andrus of California.
In an afternoon closed session, the bishops organized a self-selected ad hoc group to discuss how best to go forward with the resolution. Bishop Andrus told The Living Church at a July 15 press briefing he could not say who took part in the deliberations, but did stress the pastoral importance of C056 to his diocese. Whether C056 passes General Convention or not, California will keep its “focus on pastoral care and marriage equality,” Bishop Andrus said, and we “will continue to do blessings.”
While scheduled for discussion today, the matter has not yet been set down for business by the Dispatch Committee of the House of Bishops.
Episcopal Church ends gay bishops ban: Washington Times 7.15.09 p A1 July 15, 2009
Posted by geoconger in 76th General Convention, Washington Times.comments closed
ANAHEIM, Calif. | The U.S. Episcopal Church put itself on a collision course with the rest of the Anglican Communion by formally approving Tuesday the ordination of gay bishops, defying warnings that the Church of England may respond by recognizing a rival Anglican church.
The 2.1-million-member U.S. branch of the Anglican Communion also was preparing Wednesday to approve blessing ceremonies for same-sex unions, a further slap at the Archbishop of Canterbury, who warned the U.S. church last week not to act in ways that deepen the splits in the 77-million-member worldwide communion.
In Tuesday’s actions, the U.S. church reversed a promise made to the rest of the communion by agreeing to end the church’s gay-bishop ban, which the church imposed in 2006 at its last triennial convention after the worldwide furor over the 2003 consecration of Bishop V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire.
The House of Bishops voted here at the Episcopal Church’s triennial General Convention on Monday night to pass a resolution opening all levels of ordained ministry to gay clergy. The move formally took effect Tuesday when the House of Deputies, which already had passed a similar resolution on gay bishops, affirmed the bishops’ measure by 72 percent to 28 percent.
Read it all in The Washington Times.
The Bishop of Southern Ohio: TLC 7.14.09 July 15, 2009
Posted by geoconger in 76th General Convention, Anglican Album (Photos), Living Church, Southern Ohio.comments closed
Bishop Thomas Breidenthal of Southern Ohio waits to speak during the House of Bishops' July 13 debate on Resolution D025.
Bishops Weigh Authorizing Local Same-Sex Blessing Rites: TLC 7.14.09 July 15, 2009
Posted by geoconger in 76th General Convention, Living Church.comments closed
The House of Bishops moved one step closer towards authorizing local pastoral rites for the blessing of same-sex unions, debating Resolution C056: Liturgies for Blessings.
Set down for action on the Supplemental Calendar 3 for the sixth business day on July 13, the resolution was the first order of legislative business in the morning session of July 14.
The Bishop of Missouri, the Rt. Rev. Wayne Smith, offered C056 to the house on behalf of the Committee on the Prayer Book, Liturgy and Church Music. He said the committee had a number of resolutions to consider and consolidated them into C056 as an “omnibus resolution.”
Speaking for the Committee, Bishop Jeffrey Lee of Chicago said the resolution “calls for the development of rites for blessing and a theological rationale” for same-sex unions.
The resolution “helps to define ourselves in relation to the Anglican Communion.”
The Rt. Rev. Dean Wolfe of Kansas cautioned the house against offering aggressive amendments. “Sometimes it takes very little,” he said, to “move us from agreement to division.” He asked the bishops to practice a “generous orthodoxy” to the conservative minority who might be troubled by same-sex blessings.
The Suffragan Bishop of Maryland, the Rt. Rev. John Rabb offered an amendment that was originally offered as a minority committee report by the Bishop of Alabama, the Rt. Rev. Henry Parsley. The Parsley amendment sought to alter language that offered blanket permission for a “generous pastoral response” to same-sex couples, to one confining it to states that had adopted same-sex marriage or civil union laws.
The Rt. Rev. Otis Charles, retired Bishop of Utah, objected to the amendment, saying it was an “attempt to narrow and limit” pastoral care along state boundaries. The Bishop of San Diego concurred, noting that the amendment would relate pastoral generosity to geography.
Bishop James Adams of Western Kansas asked Bishop Smith of Missouri if pastoral generosity included liturgical blessings. Bishop Smith replied that the committee had considered adding a specific provision for liturgies, but believed it best not to enumerate the forms pastoral generosity might take so that “liturgies could be included” without being named.
The “reality of marriage of same-gender couples is coming to you soon,” Bishop V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire told the house, objecting to the conditional language of the resolution. The word ‘may’, “implies a bishop might not do so,” he said, adding that “I would argue that all of us are about providing generous pastoral responses.”
However, the Rt. Rev. S. Johnson Howard, Bishop of Florida, told the House “what we don’t need is a resolution instructing us to be pastorally generous.”
The Bishop of Lexington, the Rt. Rev. Stacy Sauls, opposed the Parsley amendment, saying it “relies implicitly” on the bishop for implementation. Bishop Marc Andrus of California said he too was opposed, as “pastoral responses are occasioned by pastoral needs.” The Bishop of Maryland, the Rt. Rev. Eugene Sutton, asserted that “generosity for a few is not generosity.” Following further debate, the amendment was put to a vote and failed.
The Bishop to the American Convocation of Churches in Europe also offered an amendment, one that would soften the language of the resolution by deleting the request for formal study and development. “A lot of theology has been done by liturgists without recourse to wider theological considerations,” Bishop Pierre Whalon said, adding that he “did not want to continue that practice.”
Bishop J. Neil Alexander of Atlanta said he “saw no evidence that Eucharist or baptism” waited “upon a committee” before it was celebrated by the Church. “Collecting and analyzing rites is part of the theological work,” he said. Bishop John Chane of Washington also objected, saying “now is the time to have this formal discussion” on rites for same-sex blessings.
The Acting Bishop of the Rio Grande, the Rt. Rev. William Frey, questioned whether it was permissible to permit gay blessings when it was not authorized by the Book of Common Prayer. “How can we give permission to violate the Constitution,” he asked.
Bishop Clifton Daniel of East Carolina rose to ask the conservative bishops in the house to speak, noting that none save Bishop Frey had to that point risen to speak. The “silence is ominous,” he observed, adding “I need your voice to inform my conversation.”
Bishop Peter Beckwith of Springfield rose to Bishop Daniel’s challenge, saying he opposed the resolution. “Why waste time? Why waste my time. Why waste your time?” with these debates, he asked. “I believe this is another clear instance of the church being shaped by the secular culture rather than the secular culture being shaped by the church.” He said this “takes us farther away from the Windsor Report,” and asked the chairman for a roll call vote upon the conclusion of debate.
Bishop Stacy Sauls then offered what he called his “most important thing I have ever said” to the house. “Thirty-six years ago, our church responded to secular culture by allowing divorced persons to remarry,” adding that “remarriage after divorce was the moral equivalence of adultery.” He argued that this was a greater change to the nature of marriage than same-sex blessings, and urged the House to support those gays and lesbians who “seek to live in a morally equivalent way.”
The Presiding Bishop prorogued the session until July 15 for further debate and a final vote.
Convention Criticized for ‘Choosing to Walk Apart’: TLC 7.14.09 July 15, 2009
Posted by geoconger in 76th General Convention, Living Church.comments closed
First published in The Living Church
The Bishop of Durham, the Rt. Rev. N.T. Wright has issued a sharp rebuke to the 76th General Convention for approving Resolution D025, saying it “marks a clear break” with the Anglican Communion.
On July 13, the House of Bishops adopted an amended version of D025, effectively overturning the pledge made in Resolution B033 at the 75th General Convention in 2006 not to affirm the election of clergy in active same-sex relationships. The House of Deputies concurred with the Bishops on July 14.
In a letter to the Times of London to be published on July15, Bishop Wright likened the state of international Anglicanism to a “slow-moving train crash.” With passage of D025, the Episcopal Church had “finally brought a large coach off the rails altogether,” marking a “clear break with the rest of the Anglican Communion.”
General Convention was “ignoring” the pleas of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Anglican Consultative Council, the Primates and the Lambeth Conference for a “moratorium on consecrating practicing homosexuals as bishops.”
General Convention had rejected the Windsor Report and the proposed Anglican Covenant, Bishop Wright said, and was “formalizing the schism they initiated six years ago when they consecrated as bishop a divorced man in an active same-sex relationship,” the Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson, Bishop of New Hampshire.
The Episcopal Church by its vote, he argued, had “chosen to ‘walk apart’.”
He rejected the “appeal to justice as a way of cutting the ethical knot in favor of including active homosexuals in Christian ministry,” saying it “simply begs the question.”
Justice did not mean “treating everybody the same way,” but “treating people appropriately”, he argued, “which involves making distinctions between different people and situations. Justice has never meant ‘the right to give active expression to any and every sexual desire’.”
The Episcopal Church was now distancing itself from the fellowship of the Anglican Communion, he argued, and raised the specter of recognizing the Anglican Communion in North America, writing that he hoped that ways could be found “for all in America who want to be loyal to [the Anglican Communion], and to scripture, tradition and Jesus, [and] to have that loyalty recognized and affirmed at the highest level.
The Rev. Ian Douglas, a member of the Anglican Consultative Council, and clergy deputy from Massachusetts, told The Living Church that there had been communications between the highest levels of the Episcopal Church and the Church of England over D025 over the past few days, noting that claims that the Episcopal Church was walking away from the Anglican Communion were untrue, as D025 was not crafted as a repeal of B033.
The Committee on World Missions received 13 resolutions concerning B033: six that “called for a full repeal” of the 2006 resolution, six that called for “a strengthening of the non-discriminations canons” and one resolution that stated “where we are as a church.” Fr. Douglas said D025 was an “invitation to dialogue, not a rebuke of the Anglican Communion’s instruments of communion.”
Passage of D025 May Place TEC Outside Communion: TLC 7.13.09 July 14, 2009
Posted by geoconger in 76th General Convention, Living Church.comments closed
The House of Bishops’ adoption of Resolution D025 on July 13 was an honest act that fairly stated the mind of the majority of the House of Bishops, progressive bishops argued. But members of the minority stated the vote ends the Episcopal Church’s compliance with the pledge made by the 2006 General Convention in Resolution B033 to abstain from consecrating more gay bishops, ends the Windsor Process, snubs the Archbishop of Canterbury, and places the Episcopal Church outside the Anglican Communion.
The Bishop of Rhode Island introduced D025 to the house as chair of the World Missions Committee, noting the bishops on the committee had recommended by a vote of 3-2 to reject adoption. Bishop Geralyn Wolf then enumerated the committee’s reasons for urging its rejection, saying “some” of the Episcopal Church’s overseas dioceses, while privately welcoming of the ministry of gays and lesbians, were “not theologically or culturally ready” for the innovation.
Adopting D025 “rejects” the Windsor process and jeopardizes the Anglican Covenant, and “doesn’t reflect the voices” of the wider Anglican Communion, Bishop Wolf said. It presumes a “theological understanding” of the question that has not, however, been reached, and while it may describe the “mind of the House,” the resolution “lacks clarity” and is open to a “variety of interpretations that will not be helpful in the Anglican Communion.”
The resolution “should be seen through the lens of world ministry,” Bishop Wolf continued, and sometimes it is necessary to “sacrifice for this ministry,” she said in urging its rejection.
Bishop Jeffrey Lee of Chicago asked for twenty minutes table time for the bishops to discuss the resolution, which was extended for a further ten minutes. Once the bishops reconvened, the Bishop of Upper South Carolina, the Rt. Rev. Dorsey Henderson, offered an amendment to the sixth resolved, asking substitution for the phrase that stated God “has called and may call” gays and lesbians to the ordained ministry with the statement that this call to ordained ministry was a “mystery” that was discerned by the church “for all people” in accordance with its constitution and canons.
“This is family talk,” Bishop Henderson declared, adding that “what we do affects a larger family.” He said that by being circumspect, we “can both pledge our commitment to the Anglican Communion” and continue to “debate the issues before the Anglican Communion” in the spirit of the Windsor Report.
Debate began on the amended resolution, with the bishops quickly dividing on their interpretation of what it meant. The Suffragan Bishop of Maryland, the Rt. Rev. John Rabb endorsed the Henderson amendment, urging the church to “continue the process of discernment.”
Bishop Michael Curry of North Carolina felt the amendment was helpful as it affirmed that “God’s call is God’s call; for us it is a mystery.” The language of the amendment presumes that “gay and lesbian people may be called” to the ordained ministry. Bishop John Bauerschmidt of Tennessee also supported the amendment, noting that its language was “descriptive” rather than “prescriptive” and “moves the resolution further along.”
But Bishop Nathan Baxter of Central Pennsylvania said he had “mixed emotions” about the Henderson amendment as he was seeking a way “to rescind or override B033.”
Bishop Baxter said he “really would like to see us honoring sacramentally same-sex unions,” and “honor what we see as holy in our experience.” While the Episcopal Church should be “concerned with its covenant with the Anglican Communion,” it should also be “concerned about our commitment to gays and lesbians.”
Bishop J. Neil Alexander of Atlanta rose in opposition, saying the amendment “renders things muddier.” Bishop Stephen Lane of Maine also urged rejection, saying the bishops should speak honestly about what they believed.
Bishop Thomas Ely of Vermont argued that “God has affirmed and will continue to call gays and lesbian people into the ordained ministry. That is not a mystery to me.
“The mystery is the person,” Bishop Thomas Ely said. If the amendment means the church will be open to the ordination of gays and lesbians, he said it had its support. “If it in any way questions that call to God, I would find that a great disappointment.”
Bishop J. Jon Bruno of Los Angeles said that if “we baptize people of all sexualities” we should be able to ordain them. “We don’t need any more study on this issue,” he said, and urged the Episcopal Church to be clear on this point. “Gays and lesbians have a right to the ordination process under our canons.”
“It is God who calls” an individual to the priesthood, Bishop George Counsell of New Jersey said, stating he preferred not to use the “language of rights” in describing ordination. He contended the amendment served to “put God at the center of all this.”
When a division was called, the Hollingsworth amendment was adopted 78 to 60 on a show of hands.
The Bishop of Arkansas, the Rt. Rev. Larry Benfield then rose to read a prepared statement in support of the original resolution saying that as the Trinity was a mystery, so was sexual love. It was fearful to say “we will restrict love because of a chromosomal make-up,” he contended, and argued that the theology was already in place by a reinterpretation of the creeds to permit honoring same-sex attractions as being holy.
But Bishop Michael Smith of North Dakota warned that endorsing the resolution would be a “negative response to the Windsor report,” and asked for a roll call vote. Five other bishops rose to endorse his motion, and it carried.
Bishop Gary Lillibridge rose in opposition to the resolution, but turned to the last resolve that stated “Christians of good conscience” may “disagree about some of these matters.” He told the house he did “not want to lose” that promise of forbearance of toleration of the minority.
The Rt. Rev. Clifton Daniel of East Carolina endorsed the resolution, saying it affirmed that the Episcopal Church was a member of the Anglican Communion. He disputed the statement that Lambeth 1.10 “represents the mind of the Anglican Communion on human sexuality,” saying it was the mind merely of the bishops at Lambeth in 1998. He proposed an amendment to the opening paragraph of the resolution that stated the Episcopal Church remained a “constituent” member of the Anglican Communion. There was no debate on the motion and it was adopted unopposed.
On the resolution as a whole, and the Bishop of Massachusetts, the Rt. Rev. M. Thomas Shaw, urged adoption. “I don’t know how much more we can ask of people,” he said. “It is time now to act.” Bishop Mark Beckwith of Newark concurred, saying this resolution removed the taint of B033 and “offers a statement as to who we are.”
The Rt. Rev. Stacy Sauls of Lexington, speaking in favor, said the resolution made no canonical changes and “does nothing other than to state what is true.” The Constitution and Canons “govern the discernment process,” he said, adding that “what this does is correct any misconception that B033 changed our canons.”
The Bishop coadjutor of Virginia, the Rt. Rev. Shannon Johnston, said he “personally agrees with every word of the resolution,” but would vote against it as it “breaks faith” with the Anglican Communion. The Anglican Consultative Council “gave us a great gift” in postponing consideration of Section 4 of the Anglican Covenant draft. “Now we are shooting the gap” created by the delay, and changing the debate by rejecting the Windsor process.
“We can affirm all we want,” that we are constituent members of the Anglican Communion, but that does not make it so, Bishop Johnston argued. The “Communion is too much to lose,” he said, urging its defeat.
“If the resolution passes, the Episcopal Church will cease to be part of the Communion,” said Bishop William Love of Albany. He read out to the house the Archbishop of Canterbury’s statement to the July 13 session of General Synod, which urged the bishops to defeat D025. Adopting the resolution would not simply “stress or tear the fabric” of the Communion, he said, “it would totally shred it.”
But Bishop Edwin Gulick of Kentucky disagreed, telling the house that the “passing of the resolution will not end the moratorium.” Distinguishing between intentions and actions, Bishop Gulick said the moratorium would be broken when the Episcopal Church consecrated a new gay bishop. He then turned to Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and asked if this was not so. Bishop Jefferts Schori said that was “my understanding of it. We have been asked to exercise restraint, and we have done so.”
Bishop Mark Lawrence of South Carolina turned to natural law and church teaching in support of rejecting the resolution.
Bishop William Gregg, Assistant Bishop of North Carolina, noted that “God was not calling us to consensus.” He stated that “when synod has made a decision, the decision becomes real when the whole body receives the decision.”
Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori noted the lateness of the hour, and called the question. A roll call vote was taken and the house adopted the amended resolution 99 to 45 with two abstentions.
Unlike the scenes surrounding the affirmation of the election of Bishop Robinson at the 2003 General Convention, the bishops filed out of the House in somber mood, and no applause came from the gallery. While some bishops left the Robinson vote in 2003 in tears or singing the doxology, the July 13 vote ended with most exhausted.
Resolution D025 now goes back to the House of Deputies for concurrence.
Bishops Endorse Mandatory Health Plan: TLC 7.13.09 July 13, 2009
Posted by geoconger in 76th General Convention, Living Church.comments closed
First published in The Living Church.
The House of Bishops has endorsed resolution A177 calling for a denomination-wide health insurance plan.
During the afternoon business session on July 12, the Rt. Rev. Gayle Harris, Suffragan Bishop of Massachusetts, introduced the resolution on behalf of the Church Pension Fund Committee. The “mandatory” plan offers health insurance coverage for all “clergy and lay employees who are scheduled to work a minimum of 1,500 hours annually.”
Bishop Harris told the house the proposal had been under review for several years and would result in extensive cost savings for the church as a whole. Approximately “95 percent of dioceses will see savings,” she said, as a denomination-wide plan would “spread the liability or risk” across the church. The plan provides a $5 million lifetime cap, compared to a private sector average of $2 million, and provides a “superior insurance product.”
It would be “portable within the Episcopal Church”, but would be subject to “local control” and dioceses “may allow some to opt out” of the plan if they have comparable or superior coverage from the private sector.
She added that “pension payments will not be used to subsidize health care.” For every dollar collected by the Medical Trust, “92 cents would be used to pay claims, 7 cents for administration, and 1 cent for reserves,”—a ratio not matched in the private sector insurance market.
The Bishop of Albany rose to question the mandatory nature of the policy, however Bishop Harris stated that dioceses “will always have the option for those who have equal or better insurance to opt out—but dioceses may not opt out.”
The Bishop of Western Louisiana noted that “we have congregations where the only way we have full-time clergy has been to allow them to go into another program for coverage.” The Rt. Rev. D. Bruce MacPherson said the proposed rates “will force some congregations to move to part-time clergy with no benefits.”
The Bishop of Alabama queried the plans “agility,” noting his diocese had moved from the Medical Trust, to a self-insured plan to a Health Savings Account high-deductable plan offered by Blue Cross/Blue Shield—each time seeking better coverage for a better cost. He asked whether a denominational program would be competitive without private sector pressure.
Bishop Harris responded that the program would be responsive to changing market conditions, but was also client friendly. The Medical Trust was a not for profit, she argued, and its primary goal is service to the customer.
Bishop James Adams of Western Kansas affirmed his colleague’s statement, saying his experience with the Medical Trust had been very good. “There are few people whom I trust apart from our Lord. One is the Medical Trust, the other is the Pension Fund,” he said.
Bishop Mark Lawrence of South Carolina concurred, saying he had “utter confidence in the Church Pension Fund” and endorsed the program. The Rt. Rev. Chilton Knudsen, retired Bishop of Maine, urged the bishops to “capture this opportunity now.”
After a number of other bishops rose in support of the resolution, the matter was put to the vote and was endorsed by the House, with only two voices raised in opposition. If endorsed by the House of Deputies, the denomination plan will take effect in 2012.
Bishop Sauls–Archbishop Williams Misinformed: TLC 7.13.09 July 13, 2009
Posted by geoconger in 76th General Convention, Church of England, Living Church.comments closed
First published in The Living Church.
The Archbishop of Canterbury has been misinformed about the purpose and import of Resolution D025, the Bishop of Lexington told The Living Church at a July 13 press conference at the 76th General Convention in Anaheim, Calif.
On July 12, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams urged the House of Bishops to reject Resolution D025, saying “I regret the fact that there is not the will to observe the moratorium in such a significant part of the Church in North America but I can’t say more about that as I have no details.”
Bishop Sauls said Archbishop Williams was “laboring under a misconception,” about D025 and had been misled by the “sensational headlines” surrounding the resolution, which circumvents B033’s ban on consecrating gay clergy by affirming that “God has called and may call such individuals to any ordained ministry in the Episcopal Church.”
He said he could “not get into Archbishop of Canterbury’s head” but if Archbishop Williams believed D025 offered anything new, he was mistaken. It simply “states the reality of this church.”
Minnesota Deputy Sally Johnson noted that D025 “does not repeal B033,” as it contained no language expressly overturning the 2006 resolution. General Convention was engaged “in a conversation on this controversial issue.”
The Rt. Rev. Michael Smith, Bishop of North Dakota, however stated that D025 was a “very serious issue in the life of the church,” and the bishops were “very sensitive” to the concerns of the wider church.
“We are aware of the gravity of the situation,” he said.
No date has been set for debate on D025 in the House of Bishops.
Archbishop urges bishops defeat D025:TLC 7.13.09 July 13, 2009
Posted by geoconger in 76th General Convention, Church of England, Living Church.comments closed
First printed in The Living Church.
Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams has urged the House of Bishops to reject Resolution D025.
Responding to a question from a member of General Synod on July 12 about General Convention Resolution D025, Archbishop Williams said he regretted the direction taken by the House of Deputies in repealing Resolution B033 from the 2006 General Convention.
Resolution B033 had asked bishops and standing committees to refrain from affirming the election to the episcopate of gay and lesbian clergy, while D025 “affirms that God has called and may call such individuals to any ordained ministry in the Episcopal Church.”
“As for General Convention, it remains to be seen I think whether the vote of the House of Deputies will be endorsed by the House of Bishops,” Archbishop Williams said. “If the House of Bishops chooses to block, then the moratorium remains. I regret the fact that there is not the will to observe the moratorium in such a significant part of the Church in North America, but I can’t say more about that as I have no details.”
The Rev Gay Jennings, co-chair of the committee on World Missions that crafted D025 told a July 12 press conference that the new resolution did nothing new. It offered no canonical changes, but was merely “saying who we are as a church.”
It is a misconception to say that it “was the Episcopal Church against the world wide Anglican Communion,” on this issue, Ms. Jennings said. “Many other churches were trying to respond to this question.”
She added that General Convention did not “wish to walk apart” from the communion, and hoped overseas Anglicans would hear the “struggle to do and to be what we are,” she said.
The Rt. Rev. Leo Frade, Bishop of Southeast Florida concurred, stating D025 “expresses who we are.”
However, te Rev. Charles Osberger, clergy deputy from Easton and another of the World Missions Commission, stated he had been one of the two “no” votes cast by the deputies in committee on D025. He said the Episcopal Church “will have to be accountable” for its actions, but the resolution did fairly “express how this church is grappling deeply” with these issues.
Presiding Bishop to English Synod: Don’t Foster Schism: TLC 7.13.09 July 13, 2009
Posted by geoconger in 76th General Convention, Church of England, Living Church.comments closed
First published in The Living Church
Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has told the Church of England to keep its hands off the Episcopal Church and not foster schism by entertaining ideas of endorsing the Anglican Church in North America.
“Schism is not a Christian act,” Bishop Jefferts Schori said on July 12 in response to questions from a reporter representing The Living Church concerning the private member’s motion that began circulating Friday among members of the General Synod meeting in York.
The motion has received the necessary 100 signatures from members of Synod to be laid before the committee for inclusion on the agenda in an upcoming session of the biannual meeting of the Church of England’s governing body. It asks “that this Synod express the desire that the Church of England be in communion with the Anglican Church in North America.”
Six bishops supported the amendment, including Beverly, Blackburn, Burnley, Europe, Rochester and Winchester.
The Rt. Rev. N.T. Wright also told Synod that the ACNA constitution and canons had been tabled before the House of Bishops Theology Committee for review in its coming meetings.
Bishop Jefferts Schori stated she was unaware of the contemporaneous developments at General Synod. “I’m afraid I’ve been tied up with things here,” she noted.
However, she stated he hoped the “Archbishop of Canterbury and other visitors from around the Communion” who had been guests of General Convention would have had the opportunity to hear from the Deputies and Bishops and “go home and talk about the pain of departures in church.”
The secessions of the ACNA had been a cause of pain, she said, pain for “many Episcopalians in several places of being shut out of their traditional worship spaces, and the broken relationships, the damaged relationships between people who have gone and people who have stayed.”
Were the Church of England to recognize the ACNA, it would “unfortunately only encourage more of that kind of behavior,” Bishop Jefferts Schori said.
Episcopal Bishop warns of further schism: Washington Times 7.13.09 p A3 July 13, 2009
Posted by geoconger in 76th General Convention, Washington Times.comments closed
The presiding bishop of the U.S. Episcopal Church warned the Church of England not to foment schism in America, responding to a threat made over the possibility that the U.S. church will start ordaining actively gay bishops.
Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori said Sunday, in response to questions from The Washington Times, that calls by conservatives in the Church of England for recognition of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) over gay-related issues would wound her church, already split by the secession of conservative dioceses and congregations to form the ACNA.
Read it all in The Washington Times.
