Both bishops of San Joaquin off to Lambeth
Bishops Jerry Lamb and John-David Schofield both report having accepted their invitations to next month’s Lambeth Conference.
Bishop Lamb, who was nominated provisional Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin by Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, said he received his invitation on May 27. … But Bishop John-David Schofield of the Anglican Diocese of San Joaquin also will be attending the conference. He has received his Lambeth study materials and has begun familiarizing himself with them …
– Full report from The Living Church.
TEC bishop to Venables: not welcome here either
Bishop Jerry Lamb, of the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin, has written to Archbishop Gregory Venables protesting his visit to the area. Today Archbishop Venables arrives in the Diocese which seceeded from TEC last year.
The letter claims Archbishop Venables “violates the Windsor Report and statements from subsequent meetings of the Primates”.
Interestingly, both this letter and the one written the previous day by Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, are copied to “The Primates and Moderators of the United Churches of the Anglican Communion”. The text of the letter is below: Read more
San Joaquin legal action begins
As has been widely expected, The Episcopal Church has begun legal action against the Diocese of San Joaquin (Southern Cone) –
“The Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin and The Episcopal Church (TEC) filed a complaint in Fresno County Superior Court on April 24 ‘to reclaim possession of the real and personal property belonging to the diocese’. …”
– from Episcopal Life Online.
Update: Anglican Mainstream now has a letter from Bishop Schofield to the members of his diocese.
An Inconvenient Truth: Ecclesial Warming Ahead
Much of the news this week centers on the recent actions of The Episcopal Church House of Bishops and the Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori in relation to a vote to depose retired bishop William Cox and former TEC bishop John-David Schofield. Dovetailing into these legally questionable depositions are two subsequent issues: the fact that the deposition notice for Bishop Cox misstates his title and the diocese he retired from; and the calling for a Special Convention of the Diocese of San Joaquin to elect a new bishop. …
… KJS and her Chancellor DBB are functioning as police, prosecutor, judge, jury and executioner, and most of the other TEC bishops fall in dutifully behind them. …
The latest weekly letter from AAC President, Bishop David Anderson – via Anglican Mainstream. (Photo: The Common Cause Partnership.)
Episcopal confusion in San Joaquin
“In December of 2007, the convention of the Diocese of San Joaquin voted to remove any constitutional link between itself and the Episcopal Church and affiliate instead with the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone… It was not, however, a clean break. Some seven of the diocese’s 47 congregations clearly elected – with no particular surprises here – to remain connected to TEC and therefore sever their relationship with Bishop Schofield and the departing/departed convention. …”
– Commentary in the Midwest Conservative Journal over confusing legal questions around the ‘Special Convention’ to be convened in the Diocese of San Joaquin today by the Presiding Bishop.
See also the website of the ‘reconstituted’ TEC Diocese of San Joaquin.
Diocese of South Carolina strongly protests
“Dear Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori:
We, as the Standing Committee and Bishop of South Carolina, write this letter to strongly protest what we recognize as a failure to follow the Canons of our Episcopal Church in the recent depositions of Bishops Schofield and Cox. …
we must respectfully refuse to recognize the depositions, and we will not recognize any new bishop who may be elected to replace Bishop Schofield, unless and until the canons are followed.”
– via TitusOneNine.
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.
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.
Visitation Scheduled for San Joaquin Provisional Bishop Nominee
A single candidate chosen to be the provisional Bishop of San Joaquin will participate in a two-day walkabout visitation to the diocese immediately after the House of Bishops’ meeting concludes at Camp Allen in Texas on March 12. … Read more
Sydney Standing Committee writes to the Bishop of San Joaquin
The Standing Committee of Sydney Diocese met on Monday evening and unanimously passed a resolution to send these greetings to the Bishop of San Joaquin. This letter has been sent by the Diocesan Secretary on behalf of the Standing Committee. Robert Forsyth, Bishop of South Sydney was in the Chair, Peter Jensen is overseas this week.
“Dear Bishop Schofield,
The Standing Committee of the Synod of the Diocese of Sydney sends warm greetings in the fellowship of the Lord Jesus Christ to yourself and the clergy and laity of the Diocese of San Joaquin.
The Standing Committee assures you and the people of San Joaquin diocese of our prayerful support of your historic action in disassociating from The Episcopal Church and becoming part of the Province of the Southern Cone of South America.
We offer our congratulations for your courageous stand for the authority of the Scripture and the faith once delivered to the saints.”
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…