Posted on 09/05/2002 12:35:50 PM PDT by NYer
PHILADELPHIA (AP) _ An Episcopal priest who says the church has become too liberal on issues such as the ordination of women and recognition of same-sex unions was defrocked Thursday by the bishop of Pennsylvania.
The Rev. David Moyer is a leader of Forward in Faith, a movement that sought to make him a bishop for more conservative congregations within the church.
Bishop Charles E. Bennison Jr. said it was not Moyer's beliefs but his rejection of the bishop's authority that prompted his dismissal from the ministry. ``I find it grievous for him, and for his family. I did everything I knew to make it otherwise,'' Bennison said.
Moyer, pastor of the Church of the Good Shepherd, had said recently that he expected to be removed. He did not immediately return a call Thursday. Bennison supports the ordination of women and of homosexuals who are in committed relationships.
Nationally, the Episcopal Church allows the ordination of women. It officially opposes same-sex relations, but in practice it brings no sanctions against those who ordain actively homosexual clergy or conduct same-sex unions.
Because recent actions both by Bp. Charles Bennison and by other bishops, each acting contrary to the expressed will of the House of Bishops or the Lambeth Conference, have been based on an assertion that the bishop is absolute in his own diocese, an assertion I desire hereby to put to the test.
This assertion of absolute authority has been used by the Spongs, Weaklands, and every other innovator as an excuse to do whatever they want and that has to stop, whether Anglican or Roman. Bishop Duncan should be applauded for having the courage to face this most un-catholic assertion head-on.
Beautifully said.
God will prevail.
How very interesting. I never realized the Anglicans had so much in common with the Catholics. We have a forum member of a Catholic Anglican church that is in communion with the Vatican. One of their priests recently appeared on EWTN's Journey Home program. It was absolutely fascinating to learn about the Common Book of Prayer, which is used in their services.
Excuse my ignorance, but what is the difference between the link you posted and the following:
From its inception, the Anglican Church saw itself as the via media between Rome and Geneva.
These are other continuing Anglican churches. Unfortunately, the continuing Anglican movement, particularly in the U.S. has splintered over the years since the Affirmation of St. Louis. The churches that you listed are continuing Anglican churches that are (sadly) not a part of the Traditional Anglican Communion. We consider them our brothers and sisters nonetheless and continue to pray from our Book of Common Prayer:
O God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our only Saviour, the Prince of Peace; Give us grace seriously to lay to heart the great dangers we are in by our unhappy divisions. Take away all hatred and prejudice, and whatsoever else may hinder us from godly union and concord: that as there is but one Body and one Spirit, and one hope of our calling, one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of us all, so we may be all of one heart and of one soul, united in one holy bond of truth and peace, of faith and charity, and may with one mind and one mouth glorify thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
I suppose "declaration of war" may be too strong a term. But, be it war or something else, Duncan has surely brought it out in the open.
It's difficult to see how this would be peacefully papered-over. Duncan has directly challenged the prevailing liberal opinion on the power of the diocesan bishop, and he's got allies.
If I had to guess, it's going to end up with some formal version of the "alternate episcopal oversight" (e.g., flying bishop) arrangement that the HOB informally accepted last spring, and which Bennison went out of his way to ignore.
FiFNA will get its two bishops (Moyers and Ilgenfritz); Bennison will get rid of Moyers (who obviously wouldn't have time to stay at Good Shepherd); and traditionalist parishes will have their alternative oversight.
What will happen after that is less rosy. First and foremost there's the money and property issue. Parishes would still have to pay their assessments to their geographical diocese, not to the flying bishop, and the diocesan bishop still presumably owns the church property.
There's also the likelihood of a de facto schism: if the traditionalist parishes go for flying bishops, it's only a matter of time before they begin to think and act like a separate province -- at which point the money/property issue becomes more important.
Interesting times.... On a more local level, I have to wonder how this will affect the selection of the next Bishop of Colorado. The process is on-going, and will be decided next June.
do you have a current link then of the Traditional Anglican Churches?
Here's a revelation. Do you also keep consecrated hosts in a Tabernacle?
and
23.How to say the Rosary (different methods)
Also interesting. So, the protestant posters on these threads limit their "Mary bashing" strictly for the Catholics.
I have known Father Moyer for quite a few years. I first met him at a Conference (he and a number of Episcopalians were there as I recall.) He has a deep devotion to Mother Mary under the title of Our Lady of Walsingham. He is a godly man of great virtue and charity, and he deserves the prayers of all of us.
A RESPONSE TO THE DEPOSITION OF THE REV. DAVID L. MOYER"We, the undersigned bishops of the Episcopal Church, USA, reject as invalid -- spiritually, morally and canonically -- the deposition of the Rev. David L. Moyer by the Rt. Rev. Charles E. Bennison, Bishop of Pennsylvania. In doing so, we are joining with the Most Rev. George L. Carey, Archbishop of Canterbury, and many other bishops around the world who have refused to acknowledge the validity of the deposition. By Bishop Bennison's action, Fr. Moyer has been deprived of due process and any court of appeal. We believe no credible case has been made that Fr. Moyer has 'abandoned the communion' of this Church. Further, we support the Rt. Rev. Robert W. Duncan, Bishop of Pittsburgh, in his decision to receive Fr. Moyer as a priest in good standing, making him canonically resident in the Diocese of Pittsburgh."
Signatories as of September 5, 2002:
The Rt. Rev. Keith L. Ackerman, Bishop of Quincy;
The Rt. Rev. Peter H. Beckwith, Bishop of Springfield
The Rt. Rev. David Bena, Bishop Suffragan of Albany
The Rt. Rev. Andrew H. Fairfield, Bishop of North Dakota
The Rt. Rev. Daniel W. Herzog, Bishop of Albany
The Rt. Rev. John W. Howe, Bishop of Central Florida
The Rt. Rev. Jack L. Iker, Bishop of Fort Worth
The Rt. Rev. Stephen H. Jecko, Bishop of Florida
The Rt. Rev. Terence Kelshaw, Bishop of Rio Grande
The Rt. Rev. Hugo L. Pina-Lopez, Assistant Bishop, Diocese of Central Florida
The Rt. Rev. Edward Salmon, Bishop of South Carolina
The Rt. Rev. William J. Skilton, Bishop Suffragan of South Carolina
The Rt. Rev. James M. Stanton, Bishop of DallasRetired Bishop signatories as of September 5, 2002:
The Rt. Rev. FitzSimons Allison, Bishop of South Carolina, Retired
The Rt. Rev. David S. Ball, Bishop of Albany, Retired
The Rt. Rev. Maurice M. Benitez, Bishop of Texas, Retired
The Rt. Rev. Gordan T. Charlton, Bishop Suffragan of Texas, Retired
The Rt. Rev. William J. Cox, Assistant Bishop of Oklahoma, Retired
The Rt. Rev. Alex D. Dickson, Jr., Bishop of West Tennessee, Retired
The Rt. Rev. William C. Frey, Bishop of Colorado, Retired
The Rt. Rev. G. Edward Haynsworth, Assistant Bishop of South Carolina, Retired
The Rt. Rev. John MacNaughton, Bishop of West Texas, Retired
The Rt. Rev. William C. Wantland, Bishop of Eau Claire, Retired
The traditional Anglican churches that are part of the Traditional Anglican Communion are listed here.
The best list that I know of all continuing Anglican churches is here.
Thank you ... I could not remember the proper terminology.
I am now more confused than ever. According to the Traditional Anglican Church
We express also our faith in Christ's Real Presence in the Eucharist.
The priest I saw on Journey Home, was from the Anglican Use Catholic Church. He spoke of his deep longing to receive the Holy Eucharist. He spoke of how the Anglican Church celebrates Corpus Christi, but does not believe in the Real Presence.
Again, excuse the great ignorance ... but would someone please explain all of this to me?
Do Anglican's believe in the Real Presence? Do Anglican's pray to Mary? Do Anglican's pray to the saints? What separates Roman Catholics from Anglicans?
I have known Anglicans whose devotion to St. Mary was greater than most Catholics I've known. I've also known some Anglicans who thought of praying with the saints as idolatry. An Episcopalian priest I know (who is about to be received into the Catholic Church) told me that it is impossible to know what the theology actually is in any given parish. The architecture may be medieval Catholic, but the priest may also be a New Ager, a Calvinist, or an Anglo-Catholic. Gee, it almost sounds like the Roman Catholic Church today....
< / sarcasm off >
Sorry, for that last bit. The bottom line is that a big chunk of Anglicans would make GREAT ROman Catholics. And a bunch of our liberal Catholics ought to go be Episcopalians. I've long advocated a sort of an "exchange of hostages" -- not everyone likes that idea, but when it is someone like Father Moyer I would move a mountain if we could see him become a Catholic priest.
Pride (on both sides).
Okay, okay..... the usual answer is papal infallibility, the validity/invalidity of Anglican holy orders, and the dogmatic declarations since the reign of Elizabeth II in England or from the Council of Trent....
We used to go visit friends in a small town in Scotland where there was no Catholic Church. So we would attend the Episcopalian church there (although we did not receive communion). I felt very much at home. The Church was named St. Anne's. There was a beautiful mosaic icon of St. Anne teaching the Virgin Mary to read. There was a statue of Our Lady of Walsingham with votive candles in front of it. There was the most remarkable stained glass window of the Flight into Egypt with Joseph pulling the donkey's rope with one hand while holding the Child Jesus in his arms. The mass started with the Asperges. There was the use of the most beautiful smelling incense (Jasmine from the Holy Land). I could go on and on about that little church., but they were quite opposed to the authority of the Pope, and I suppose that really is the rub, so to speak
There was a post on another thread yesterday that another diocese was trying to get him. Apparently he has a lot of support in the church. There are a lot of good men of God in the Episcopal church that do not accept or teach the liberal agenda. I predicted quite a few years ago that if the church followed other mainline denominations down the road of liberalism, that there would be problems in the church because there are a lot of priests who won't support these false doctrines. Maybe God is doing some purging, just not the way that liberals think.
Don't know about Catholic, but Anglican definitely. I had such a priest in Georgia who wouldn't go along with the status quo. Of course that is considered rebellious. He ended up leading an Anglican congregation.
Don't be overconfident and continue to pray for the church. We used to think the same thing. The Episcopal church was really the last mainline holdout against the rapidly spreading infection of liberalism in the church.
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