Posted on 05/07/2006 5:03:46 PM PDT by sionnsar
All three openly gay candidates in Saturday’s election finished last, including Rev. Robert Taylor, 47, dean of St. Mark’s Cathedral in Seattle, and Rev. Michael Barlowe, 50, the officer for congregational development in the diocese of California. Instead, representatives of clergy and laity in the diocese chose Bishop Mark Andrus of Birmingham, Ala., a married man with two college-age daughters. Delegates of the Episcopal General Convention must approve the winner in June.
“Like any election, there will be constituencies who will want to claim it one way or the other,” said Ian Douglas, a professor at Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Mass. “The church is not divorced from the cultural realities and political processes in which we live. I would suspect some people would say it’s a huge statement and some people who say it’s not a statement.”
Rev. Jack Eastwood, a spokesman for the California diocese, said he did not believe the delegates consciously shied away from controversy but instead chose the best candidate.
“I don’t think fear was part of this,” he said. “I think the electors really saw in the end that Mark Andrus was the best person, most qualified … who shared values of inclusion.”
Perry, 44, would not speculate on why she did not get votes but instead applauded Andrus as a top-notch leader.
“I’ve said all along this thing would be guided by the Holy Spirit,” she said. “Who knows? I was the youngest candidate. I am a woman. I am a lesbian. And Mark Andrus is a fabulous person.”
Traditional Anglican ping, continued in memory of its founder Arlin Adams.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.