Posted on 11/18/2005 4:02:44 PM PST by sionnsar
FT. WORTH, TX (11/17/2005)--Via Media, a liberal pro-gay organization bent on eradicating the last vestiges of orthodoxy in The Episcopal Church, has written an Open Letter to the Bishop of Fort Worth, the Rt. Rev. Jack L. Iker, telling him that there is no planned coup to overthrow orthodox bishops in The Episcopal Church, but they have a plan ready if the bishop plans to take the diocese out of the Episcopal Church.
"It is a plan of recovery rather than a coup. You and others have been so bold in your actions to destroy the Episcopal Church that we have felt it necessary to plan for actions to preserve the unity of the Church IF you and others decide to leave," wrote George Komechak, President Fort Worth Via Media.
"We have told you before that there will continue to be an Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth should you leave. We, in conjunction with the ECUSA leadership, will do what is necessary to replace all those who have left the Church in order to keep this diocese properly functioning to care for the loyal remnant of Episcopalians."
But Bishop Iker has never said he would leave the Episcopal Church. His argument, along with all Network bishops is that the Episcopal Church has chosen to walk apart and the onus is on them to repent and return. In Pittsburgh this week in response to Nigerian Archbishop Akinola's call to separate from ECUSA and join the Network, Iker said this: "The first question to be answered is: 'Will the Episcopal Church walk apart from the Anglican Communion?' It is then that we must answer Archbishop Akinola's question." Akinola asked at the conference of 3,200 orthodox Anglicans; "Many of you have one leg in ECUSA and one leg in the network. You must let us know exactly where you stand -- are you ECUSA or are you Network?"
Via Media president Komechak lashed out at Iker saying, "You have been gravely misinformed, possibly by David Virtue or some other Network sources that have shamelessly twisted the facts surrounding the leaked draft minutes of the Via Media USA steering committee. Via Media has no intention of overthrowing the canonically chosen authorities in this or any other diocese."
"In this current environment of serious threats by the Network to leave the Episcopal Church, the Steering Committee of Via Media USA discussed proposed actions in the context of formulating a recovery plan should dissident bishops and clergy decide to leave the Episcopal Church after General Convention 2006."
That is our purpose and it will remain our purpose, wrote Komechak. "As a matter of fact, the Fort Worth Via Media did not start until it was realized by many Episcopalians that a number of bishops (including yourself), clergy and lay members began to foment schism in the Episcopal Church."
"The formation of the Anglican Communion Network, followed by statements from Bishop Duncan and others and the schismatic letter of Rev. Geoff Chapman have caused deep distress in many Episcopalians that the Network is planning to leave the Episcopal Church."
"In your own posting on the diocesan web site you stated, 'If the Episcopal Church decides to walk away from the Anglican Communion, this Diocese will not depart with them.' Other actions you have taken, such as cutting off funds to ECUSA except in cases where parishes wish to send a portion of their funds to the national church, and your disassociation with other bishops of ECUSA by not attending House of Bishops' meetings, whereby you plan other activities on those dates even when you know those dates are set three years in advance, have sent strong signals to the parishioners of this diocese that you do not intend to relate to the Episcopal Church."
Komechak then ripped Iker for his association with the African primates.
"Your close association with African bishops rather than ECUSA bishops, the fact that Archbishop Peter Akinola has removed the Archbishop of Canterbury from his church constitution, and recent mentions of the formation of a Reformed Anglican Catholic Church have heightened our concerns about your intentions."
Iker recently wrote a letter canceling the Via Media booth at the forthcoming diocesan convention; he did so saying that the Via Media was attempting to remove the legitimate authorities in the Diocese of Ft. Worth, following General Convention.
Komechak countered saying that an actual reading of the leaked draft minutes showed that they were exclusively concerned with how to handle the eventuality of this occurrence. "The discussions were aimed on how to maintain the continuity of the Episcopal Church in those dioceses where the bishop and diocesan leadership abandon the Church."
Iker also blasted the Via Media for the wholesale misuse of parish directories. Komechak responded: "We feel that it is our duty to keep parishioners properly informed of the happenings in the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion. We also feel that each person has the right to determine if they wish to read our newsletter or not. As a matter of fact, in our newsletter, we provide people with the opportunity and method to be removed from our mailing list if they choose to do so. Our last distribution was to 950 addresses. To date we have had one clergy and three lay members give us notification to be removed and they have been removed."
Wrote Komechak: "In the large majority of the other dioceses of ECUSA where there is no threat of schism, where they live in the spirit of via media, they do not have organizations named Via Media to remind them that the Episcopal Church is an inclusive church."
Traditional Anglican ping, continued in memory of its founder Arlin Adams. Perhaps they should be called "Via Extremis Sinistris" (yes, I know I don't really know Latin...)
It's been so long, and with another language interposed since my Latin, but I thnk you're close enough.
What a pun! Extremely left and extremely sinister...both true!~
These sodomites do everything in their power to destroy the Episcopalian communion and then they dare accuse anyone that dares resist them of doing exactly that.
What arrogance! How can you endure this?
If that was to me... I don't. I left ECUSA over 22 years ago.
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