Confusion over HOB vote to depose orthodox Bishops
Massive ecclesiastical confusion followed in the wake of a vote by the Episcopal Church’s House of Bishops over whether or not two bishops were legally deposed at a HOB meeting in Camp Allen recently.
A report in The Living Church, following the deposition of Bishop John-David Schofield and William Cox, said that slightly more than one-third of all bishops eligible voted to depose bishops John-David Schofield and William J. Cox during the House of Bishops’ spring retreat, far fewer than the 51 percent required by the canons. Both resolutions were approved by voice vote. …
– Latest on the TEC House of Bishops’ ‘deposition’ vote by David Virtue.
Statement from the Synod of The Province of South East Asia
The Synod… hereby:
- encourages the bishops of our Province to participate in the Lambeth Conference 2008 yet also fully understands and respects the decision of some who for their own principled reasons may choose not to attend the Lambeth Conference 2008;
- supports our bishops in fully and actively expressing our on-going concern for the issues and challenges facing the Anglican Communion, and our continued participation in and commitment to the position of the Global South; and
- gives support for such appropriate further action on the part of our House of Bishops as they may among themselves decide in order to give full effect to this Statement, and to report any such further action taken to the Provincial Synod and/or Provincial Standing Committee as soon as practicable for ratification. …
Read the full statement via GlobalSouthAnglican. (Graphic: Anglican Communion website.)
First woman to preach at St. George’s Cathedral Jerusalem
At the invitation of Bishop Suheil Dawani of the Diocese of Jerusalem, TEC Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori became “the first woman ever to preach at St. George’s Cathedral” in Jerusalem on Sunday.
Visiting the city where GAFCON leaders will hold their pilgrimage in June, the Presiding Bishop was beginning “a week-long visit to the Holy Land”.
And from the Episcopal News Service –
The Rev. Canon Hosam Naoum, acting dean of St. George’s, described the Presiding Bishop’s visit as a historic moment. “With all the differences in the Anglican Communion today, I see her as a uniting figure who brings beliefs and understandings and cultures of other people around the world.”
(Photo: Episcopal News Service.)
Bishop Mouneer Anis’ Reflections on JSC
Bishop Mouneer Anis has shared his thoughts on last week’s “Joint Standing Committee” meeting in London –
“By the time I finished the meetings of the JSC, I realised that I lost many of the hopes which I had before the meeting. …
I cannot see any desire to follow things through as decided before. The Windsor Report recommendations, which was accepted by everyone since it was produced in 2004 is a very good example. … What action did we take or recommend in the JSC meeting? The answer is nothing. …
While the presence of the Presiding Bishop of TEC was so important during discussions, her presence as we decided about resolutions of assessment of the response of TEC inhibited other members from speaking freely. …”
Notes from the Most Rev. Dr. Mouneer Anis, Bishop of Egypt, North Africa and the Horn of Africa – via Global South Anglican. (Photo: Episcopal News Service.)
Bishop Duncan Formally Responds to TEC Presiding Bishop
Bishop Robert Duncan responded on March 14 to allegations that he had “abandoned the communion of this church.” The allegations, made by a small group of priests and laity of the diocese and supported by the chancellor to the Presiding Bishop, were forwarded to Bishop Duncan on January 15 along with a cover letter from Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori. …
Read the full press release – and the letters from Bishop Duncan and his lawyers – on the Diocese of Pittsburgh website.
New Bishop for NZ: Victoria Matthews
A Canadian Bishop who is part of a high-level advisory group to the worldwide Anglican Communion has been elected Bishop of Christchurch. …
Bishop Matthews, 54 and unmarried, is only the second woman to become a diocesan bishop in New Zealand.
– Press release from the Diocese of Christchurch.
More Canon XIX Charges in Canada
The Rev George Sinclair, despite relinquishing his licence for ministry in the Anglican Church of Canada (ACoC), has been issued a Notice of Presumption of Abandonment of the Exercise of the Ministry according to ACoC Canon XIX by the Bishop of Ottawa.
He joins good company with Dr J I Packer and the rest of the Vancouver-area ANiC clergy who received the same notice earlier from the Diocese of New Westminster. …
– from the Anglican Network in Canada newsletter. George is on the leadership team of the Anglican Network of Canada. (Images courtesy St. Alban the Martyr.)
Realignment takes on new urgency in Pittsburgh
The newly-formed Coalition for Realignment supports the effort to realign the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh with a biblically orthodox Province of the Anglican Church.
As the group sent a letter of introduction to the parishes of Pittsburgh, news was received of the likely proceedings against Bishop Bob Duncan.
We in the Diocese of Pittsburgh are aware of what is occurring in the wider Anglican world and how powers outside of the diocese are attempting to influence the decisions we make about our future. During these difficult “in-between” times we are humbled, hopeful and even excited about what God is doing with Anglicanism.
Locally, we have not been idle. The Steering Committee of the Coalition for Realignment, comprised of lay and clergy members from across the diocese, has been meeting to help navigate the path forward to the next annual convention when the second vote on realignment will occur. …
See the full letter on the Coalition for Realignment website.
Clock is ticking for fate of Bishop Duncan
The leader of the Episcopal Church will poll bishops nationally next month in an effort to move the possible deposition of Pittsburgh Bishop Robert W. Duncan Jr. ahead to May.
While Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori’s reasons have not been made public, the impact of accelerating the deposition could be far reaching not only for Bishop Duncan but the entire worldwide Anglican Communion. …
from The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Episcopalians oust retired bishop
The Episcopal House of Bishops voted Wednesday to defrock a retired Episcopal bishop who is living in Tulsa. The Rt. Rev. William Cox is one of two conservative bishops deposed by the House of Bishops in a continuing struggle in the Episcopal Church over biblical authority.
Bishop William Cox: “I feel sorry that they felt they needed to do this. A more charitable thing to do would be to say, ‘We recognize that you are now a member of the church in Argentina and ask God’s blessing on your ministry.’ ”
– report from Tulsa World, Oklahoma. (Photo credit: George Conger.)
Reform Chairman on J.I. Packer
Rod Thomas, the Chairman of Reform has written this letter to the Editor of The Church Times –
“The threat by the Bishop of New Westminster in Canada to suspend the Revd Dr Jim Packer from ministry because his church has sought the oversight of the Primate of the Southern Cone has rightly created a huge sense of outrage across the Communion and especially among evangelicals in the Church of England. …”
Read the full letter at VirtueOnline. (Photo: Reform.)
Retired TEC Bishop charged for canonical violations
Bishop Edward MacBurney, bishop retired of the Diocese of Quincy, has been formally charged with canonical violations by the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. These charges stem from events occurring in June, 2007 when Bishop MacBurney was invited to make a pastoral visit to a non-Episcopal church in San Diego, California. MacBurney, 80 years old, retired from his position as a diocesan bishop in 1994 …
– Press release from the Diocese of Quincy, via the Anglican Communion Network. (Photo: Forward in Faith.)
It appears Bishop MacBurney has been charged but has not (yet) been inhibited. Note that Bishop MacBurney is one of those who, along with Archbishop Peter Jensen, signed a letter of support for Bishop John-David Schofield and the Diocese of San Joaquin in January.
‘We acknowledge the pain’
The Episcopal Church HOB on Lambeth –
We, the House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church, approaching the forthcoming Lambeth Conference, are mindful of the hurt that is being experienced by so many in our own Episcopal Church, in other Provinces of our global communion, and in the world around us. …
Thus, even as we acknowledge the pain felt by many, we also affirm its holiness … We appeal to the faithful of the Episcopal Church and the faithful in the wider, global Anglican family, to focus and celebrate our unity in the comprehensiveness of diversity. …
The full statement is available from the Episcopal News Service.
Stations of the Cross – Without the Cross
It has been said that, in the Episcopal Church, the United Nations Millennium Development Goals have replaced the gospel of Jesus Christ – and here is one illustration –
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Communiqué reaffirms goals of GAFCON
Communiqué from GAFCON leadership meeting
We met in England as the leadership team of the Global Anglican Future Conference and Jerusalem Pilgrimage from March 10-12, 2008 and were encouraged by the support and enthusiasm of bishops, clergy and lay leaders around the Anglican Communion who have welcomed GAFCON and expressed their desire to attend.
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What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…