Posted on 06/19/2006 4:09:23 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Episcopal General Convention approached another defining vote Monday in the wake of electing its first female presiding bishop: whether the church should temporarily bar gays from becoming bishops to preserve Anglican fellowship.
Delegates began considering a moratorium at the request of world Anglican leaders, who remain angry over the 2003 consecration of the first openly gay Episcopal bishop V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire.
The Rev. Frank Wade opened debate by asking delegates not to view the request from Anglican leaders as an ultimatum, but as a request for peace.
"No one is being asked to stop being different. No one is being asked to stop believing differently from others," Wade said. "The question is how do we live together."
The Episcopal Church is the U.S. arm of the 77 million-member Anglican Communion. If overseas leaders dislike the outcome of this week's meeting, the association of 38 national churches could splinter apart. Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, the communion's spiritual leader, has expressed concern that the feud over homosexuality and the Bible will cause a permanent rift.
The situation has been complicated by Sunday's election of Nevada Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori as the first Episcopal presiding bishop the first woman ever to lead an Anglican province. Only two other Anglican provinces New Zealand and Canada have female bishops and many Anglicans believe women should not be ordained.
Williams released a brief statement Monday acknowledging that the choice of Jefferts Schori would cause problems among Anglicans, but pledged his support "as she takes up a deeply demanding position at a critical time."
In a 2004 document called the Windsor Report, Anglicans asked the Episcopal Church for the prohibition on homosexual bishops, a temporary ban on developing official prayers for blessing same-sex couples and an apology for the turmoil caused by Robinson's confirmation.
An Episcopal committee, of which Wade is a member, drafted legislation in response to the report that stops short of a ban on homosexual bishops. Instead, it urges dioceses to "refrain from" choosing bishops "whose manner of life presents a challenge to the wider church."
The measure on same-gender blessing ceremonies directs "this General Convention not proceed to develop or authorize" any such liturgies, while using wording that leaves open the possibility that individual dioceses and priests could conduct the ceremonies informally.
The proposals also include an "expression of regret" to Anglicans for failing to properly consult them before consecrating Robinson, and an apology for "the consequences that followed." Episcopal leaders have repeatedly apologized for the trouble their actions have caused, but they have not expressed regret for the act of confirming the New Hampshire bishop.
Delegates can revise or reject the measures.
The debate began in the House of Deputies, comprised of lay people and clergy. Legislation that deputies approve then goes to the House of Bishops.
Also Monday, one of three Episcopal dioceses that rejects ordaining women appealed to Williams for help over Jefferts Schori's election. Bishop Jack Iker of the Diocese of Fort Worth, Texas, read a short statement from the convention floor asking Williams to put the diocese under the oversight of another Anglican leader. The two other dioceses that do not accept women priests are Quincy, Ill., and San Joaquin, Calif., but the overwhelming majority of Episcopalians support women's ordination.
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Episcopal Church: http://www.episcopalchurch.org
The newly elected 26th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, Katharine Jefferts Schori, of Nevada, answers questions during a news conference after the House of Deputies confirmed her election Sunday, June 18, 2006, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
Well, Yes there is. :-\
Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, the first bishop known to be in an openly gay relationship, is seen in Concord, in a March 7, 2004 file photo. A key committee trying to craft the U.S. Episcopal Church's response to the anger and alienation caused by the consecration of the openly gay bishop wrestled with disagreements on Friday over how to apologize and what to promise for the future. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
The Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams pauses during a visit to a London market in this May 22, 2006 file photo. In an Easter season letter to leaders of the Anglican Communion, Williams set out priorities for a once-a-decade summit planned for 2008, which could consider how to heal feuds withing the church over gay clergy and other rifts. The Episcopal Church, the American branch of the embattled Anglican family, begins its general convention Tuesday in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)
AKA "Rowan The Fuzzy," which refers to his thinking & theology as much as his unkempt appearance.
They can kiss reconciliation with Benny and the Roman Catholic Church goodbye.
bump
Faithful Christians, for example, would certainly not qualify. Such folk offend most Episcopalians.
Actually, this represents an oppurtunity for the Catholic Church, as not much seperates us theologically speaking, besides that idea that the monarch of England is titular head of the church. Certainly the conservative leaning Episcopalians could be persuaded, as I was able to do so with my wife.
That's been off the table for about the last 30 years.
I'm not sure what you're saying. The Catholic Church will never pretend that women can be priests. They may bend on the married clergy (IMO), but I just don't see females. Mainly because of the example of the slippery slope into literal depravity that it has led the Episcopalians into.
It is instructive to see Ms. Jefferts Schori's comments to CNN, in which she proclaims that homosexual behavior is not sin, and that God created some people with the gift of being able to love people of the same sex. CNN failed to ask when it was that the immutable God changed his mind on this subject.
Frank Wade was the rector of the church I attended growing up. He is a Citadel grad and he wrote one of the recommendation letters for my brother to attend there.
My mother, who announced last night that she is no longer Episcopalian, will be even more upset when she sees this.
You're absolutely correct and I can tell you or any others who may be interested (by private post) why ECUSA is finished as a viable Christian denomination -- based on PERSONAL EXPERIENCE!
I can tell you this: When the book of Daniel came out, the TV show, I compared the antics of the characters on the show to the things I'd experienced in 6 tears of parish life at an Episcopal church, and it wasn't that outlandish.
A raging codependent rector with a teenage daughter suffering from severe PKitis. An assistant rector suspended and fired after engaging in a homosexual relationship with somebody he met online who later filed a complaint to the bish that he was being harrassed. A parishioner who took advantage of a position with the diocese to embezzle half-a-million dollars, and the parish promising to support and encourage him during his "ordeal." Out-and-out homosexuals on the vestry. Parish support for the national homosexual rights movement. A rector who supported Gene Robinson.
And this is supposedly a relatively orthodox parish. One shouldn't be fooled by the smells & bells, they're all over the line.
T. S. Eliot pointed out that their knowledge would be useful after the dark age of the institution has passed.
I hear you! I've been there. If you want to contact me by e-mail I'd be glad to tell my story and share some thoughts with you. My e-mail is in my "about" section. t.sink@att.net RSVP and give me your thoughts. Thanks,
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