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HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) -- The bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut on Saturday removed a priest from his duties in a clash over the elevation of a gay bishop in New Hampshire. Connecticut Bishop Andrew D. Smith stripped Mark H. Hansen, formerly of St. John's Church in Bristol, "of the right to exercise the office of priest in the Episcopal church." Smith acted six months after Hansen's "inhibition," or suspension, that began July 13. "It's a very sad day," Smith said in an interview Saturday. Diocesan officials said last year that Hansen was suspended because he took an unauthorized...

One down, five to go. At 9:30 a.m. on July 13 liberal Episcopal bishop Andrew Smith of Connecticut, several of his administrators, a pro-gay feminist priest, a locksmith, and a computer technician swooped into conservative, 200-congregant St. John's Episcopal Church in Bristol, Conn. They pried open the locked pastor's office, confiscated pastoral and church records, took down the church's website and redirected traffic to the diocese's website, changed the locks on all the doors, and announced to protesting church leaders and members that the diocese had taken over St. John's. Bishop Smith said he had suspended Rev. Mark Hansen from...

July 18, 2005Andrew D. Smith, Bishop Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut1335 Asylum AvenueHartford, CT 06105-2295  Dear Mr. Smith:    After following the events of the Episcopal Church USA for the last ten years and learning of your recent inhibition of Father Hansen and the take-over of St. John's Church in Bristol, the following word stands out in my mind:        HYPOCRISY Hypocrisy:  taking a vow that the Bible contains all things necessary to salvation, and then by your words and actions, rejecting those things with which you now disagree; Hypocrisy:  Entitling your Bishop's Column from the April-May edition of Good News: "Life! ....

News Analysis By David W. Virtue Slowly but surely the noose of orthodoxy is tightening around the neck of the revisionist Episcopal Church, its dioceses and bishops. Consider the following. Nine bishops have weighed in on Connecticut Bishop Andrew Smith and told him in no uncertain terms that they will intervene in the case of the "Connecticut Six" and lay a presentment on him if he does not withdraw the inhibition against Fr. Mark Hansen. "We would prefer to find some way other than this deepening battle, but we refuse to allow this recent aggression to go unchecked or unchallenged,"...

Bishop Andrew D. Smith’s offer of an olive branch to the members of Christ and the Epiphany, East Haven, one of six Connecticut parishes that have rebuffed his Episcopal authority, had no takers on July 24, the parish's rector, the Rev. Gilbert V. Wilkes, told The Living Church. Bishop Smith cited his visit to the parish as an example of his good faith adherence to the House of Bishops’ Delegated Episcopal Pastoral Oversight (DEPO) guidelines in a July 28 letter to nine bishops who objected to his conduct over the discipline of the Rev. Mark Hansen, rector of St John’s,...

(AgapePress) - A spokesman for an Episcopal church in Connecticut that was forcibly seized by its liberal bishop because of its opposition to homosexuality says members of the congregation want their building and property back. Connecticut Bishop Andrew Smith recently made an unannounced visit to St. John's Episcopal Church in Bristol and suspended its orthodox priest, replacing him with a pro-homosexuality female priest. With the help of 12 assistants, Bishop Smith dismantled the church's website, hacked into its computers, and gained access to financial records. Dr. William Witt, a spokesman for the vestry, says members of St. John's are doing...

Homosexuals have made a lot of progress on their agenda in 15 years. But progress has not come without a price for the rest of society. Given the small percentage of the population homosexuals represent, it appears to be a case of the tail wagging the dog. Unfortunately, some of that progress comes at the expense of unity among some Protestant religious congregations. This year, there was a distinct threat of a schism in the Episcopal Church in the United States because a homosexual priest, V. Gene Robinson, was elevated to bishop in New Hampshire. The action did not sit...

This is the Diocese Press Release This morning, the Rt. Rev. Andrew D. Smith, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut, inhibited the rector of St. John's Episcopal Church in Bristol, the Rev. Mark H. Hansen, removing him from that office, and appointed the Rev. Susan J. McCone to serve as priest-in-charge of the parish, effective immediately. In March, Fr. Hansen announced to his parish that he would be taking sabbatical for an unspecified period of time. Although Episcopal priests in the Diocese of Connecticut formally apply for sabbatical, Fr. Hansen neglected to notify Bishop Smith of his departure as...

BRISTOL, CT: (7/13/2005)--Connecticut Bishop Andrew Smith and 12 of his diocesan leaders walked into St. John's Episcopal Church in Bristol this morning waving a letter of inhibition at the Rev. Mark Hansen, hacked into the church's computer, shut down the church's website and took over the building. The senior warden tried in vain to stop him. The bishop then issued a letter of inhibition to Hansen using Title IV Canon 10 Sec. 1 saying that Hansen was not permitted to attend worship or enter the buildings for education or worship. "It is regrettable that your actions have brought us to...

Everyone should know that we have done nothing wrong! Not Father Mark, not the vestry, not the parish! We did everything by the book. Applied for DEPO, informed Bishop Smith of Father Mark’s sabbatical, wrote numerous letters to Smith (so far as I am aware without a reply back). Over the past few months while Father Mark was on sabbatical, the congregation’s pastoral needs were well taken care of. God Bless Father Clay Knapp for supplying us with Sunday Eucharist. Also Father Thomas Beck provided for Tuesday weekday worship. And as if that wasn’t enough, the rest of the CT6...

Has the Episcopal left finally gone too far?  It must be emphasized that this letter to Connecticut's Episcopal Obergruppenfuhrer Andrew Smith from a San Antonio, Texas rector consists only of words, of which there have been far too many for far too long.  But I can't recall too many conservative Anglican words quite this strident:The Rt. Rev. Andrew D. Smith, Bishop The Diocese of Connecticut Dear Bishop Smith, Your actions this past week are an insult to everyone who values the diversity that makes up the Episcopal Church, and a shameless misuse of ecclesiastical authority. Your raid on the office of St....

One of six Episcopal priests who had opposed the Connecticut Anglican bishop’s support for the ordination of a gay bishop was temporary banned from his church Wednesday. The Bishop who took this first step toward defrocking blamed an unauthorized sabbatical for the move; the six priests blamed the Bishop. Bishop Andrew D. Smith “inhibited” the Rev. Mark Hansen – rector of St. John’s Church since 1990 – from his duties for the next six months. Hansen had been on sabbatical since April 10 – a move the bishop said was detrimental to the church. In Hansen’s place, the bishop installed...

ELCA Bishops Hear Concerns, Surplus News From Presiding Bishop 05-042-JB The Rev. Mark S. Hanson is ELCA presiding bishop and LWF president. DALLAS (ELCA) -- While expressing gratitude for leaders in the church who prepared the report and recommendations on homosexuality released Jan. 13, the presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) raised some concerns about the recommendations in his report to the ELCA Conference of Bishops. The Rev. Mark S. Hanson also told the conference that the ELCA churchwide organization finished the 2004 fiscal year with a net surplus. The ELCA Conference of Bishops is an...