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 | Creation of a church ritual to bless same-sex unions. Currently, the Church formally recognizes loving, committed same-sex couples as mere roommates. |
| Election of a female as the Presiding Bishop. A very large minority of Provinces of the Anglican Communion do not even allow women to be ordained as priests; only a few allow women to be consecrated as bishops. 1 |
| Confirmation of Rev. Canon Barry Beisner as bishop elect of Northern California. He has been married three times and divorced twice. As noted above, many Provinces in the Communion eject bishops after one divorce. |
All three topics would probably distress conservatives both within the Episcopal Church and throughout much of the rest of the Anglican Communion.
To which might be added:
| A change in Canon III, which describe the ministry. It would abolish the right of the House of Deputies to give consent to episcopal elections within 120 days of a General Convention. It is this canon that forced the Convention to take a stand on the confirmation of Bishop Gene Robinson in 2003 -- a gay male in a committed relationship -- and will force the confirmation of bishop-elect Barry Beisner -- who has been twice divorced -- at this convention. |
| Approval of resolution A-161 which offers regrets for the adverse effects that its policies of equality for homosexuals have had on the Anglican communion, and promises to "exercise very considerable caution" to avoid the selection of future bishops "whose manner of life presents a challenge to the wider church and will lead to further strains on communion." This resolution falls far short of the expectations and requests of much of the rest of the Anglican Communion's Windsor report. |
| Approval of other resolutions based on implementing the recommendations of the Windsor Report. |
There are normally only a single chaplain available in the House of Deputies during conventions. This year, they will have four "who represent many different things." 1
Presiding Bishop Griswold retiring:
Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold is retiring as the Primate of the Episcopal Church, USA. Reflecting on his term in office and the continuing crises over equal treatment for sexual minorities, Griswold said:
"Reconciliation won't come in trying to create one point of view but in common prayer. Our differences can coexist in the larger frame of our common focus on Christ.....Every convention has had hovering over it a catastrophic fantasy. And then you get to general convention and people listen to each other carefully. At the end of the day, you usually come out in a place that represents what I call the diverse center of the church." 2
An article by Neela Banerjee of the New York Times stated:
"Bishop Griswold, who says he has read the Bible twice a day for years, said the [bible's] passages about homosexuality referred to certain behaviors, not to what he called 'patterns of affection.' He recounted that his understanding of homosexuality was affected in the 1960's by a couple in his Pennsylvania parish. One man had multiple sclerosis, and his companion's selflessness in caring for him convinced Bishop Griswold that such love did not contradict biblical teachings."
He said:
"In the Gospels, Jesus says, 'I have many more things to say to you but you cannot bear them now,' which suggests to me that God's truth is always unfolding. If we can accept that there are new truths that science brings us, or new discoveries in medicine, why is it when it comes to sexuality, there is no new truth'?"
"Bishop Griswold added:
"A number of those most upset about our seemingly ignoring Scripture, though they are solidly heterosexual, have enjoyed the mercy of the church in the case of their own divorce and remarriage, which is something Jesus commented [negatively] on." 2
Presiding bishop-elect selected:
The Right Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori, Bishop of the Diocese of Nevada, was elected the 26th Presiding Bishop-elect of the Episcopal Church, USA on June 18. She obtained 95 votes on the fifth ballot. "Her term officially begins November 1; she will be invested and seated during a liturgy at Washington National Cathedral on November 4." 7
| The Rev. Tamsen Whistler, rector of Trinity/St. Charles in Missouri said: |
"Our jaws fell open and we had to put our hands over our mouths to keep from shouting."
| The Rev. Dr. Lydia Agnew Speller, rector of St. Mark’s/St. Louis, also in Missouri said: |
"On the floor you could feel sharp intakes of breath and tears springing to the eyes unbidden....The amazing thing about this election is that even people who thought she was the best candidate thought 'but that will never happen' because of her gender and because of some fear that a female primate would just exacerbate the tensions in the Anglican Communion."
| The Rev. Michael Kinman, a priest of the Missouri Diocese, former director of Campus Ministry, and who is now executive director for Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation noted that Bishop Schori is the first primate-elect of a province in the Anglican Communion. He said: |
"That’s what will get the headlines, and it is wonderful. But what you should know is we have a brilliant new Presiding Bishop with an incredible heart for mission and amazingly calm presence."
| The spectators in the House of Deputies gallery erupted with approval. The chair admonished them for their emotional display, because it is considered a violation of the behavior rules of the House. 6 |
Her election was overwhelmingly confirmed by the House of Deputies, as required by church canons. She will serve a term of nine years that are almost guaranteed to be among the most tumultuous in the history of the denomination, rivaling and perhaps exceeding past conflicts over human slavery, contraception, female ordination to the priesthood, and female consecration as bishop. 3
The American Anglican Council, a conservative movement within the Episcopal Church, USA did not appear to be pleased with the selection. They noted that, in their opinion:
"At the 2003 General Convention, Jefferts Schori voted against Resolution B001, which sought to affirm basic tenets of faith, including the authority of Holy Scripture; voted for the consecration of V. Gene Robinson; and is on record for her support of the blessings of same-sex unions. Jefferts Schori’s election will obviously present problems for those who do not recognize the ordination of women priests."
"In addition, she is the least experienced of all the nominees, having been ordained a priest in 1994 and consecrated as bishop of Nevada in 2001."
"In her tenure as Bishop of Nevada, Jefferts Schori encouraged passage of a diocesan resolution to approve ceremonies to 'celebrate relationships of mutuality and fidelity between same-sex couples.' She served as a member of the Special Commission on the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion, which produced inadequate resolutions in response to the Windsor Report. In a press conference following her election and confirmation, she noted her support of same-sex blessings. Her election sends a clear message to the Anglican Communion that her leadership will continue the revisionist agenda of the Episcopal Church."
"While key resolutions on regret and moratoria remain unresolved, the election of Jefferts Schori illustrates the fact that two churches exist under one roof with irreconcilable differences." 4
Although most provinces in the Anglican Communion do recognize female priests, few allow female bishops. None before have ever elected a woman as Primate -- the most senior posting in an Anglican province. Her election is bound to send waves of discontent among almost all of the other provinces.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, sent greetings to Bishop Katharine, and commented:
"Her election will undoubtedly have an impact on the collegial life of the Anglican Primates; and it also brings into focus some continuing issues in several of our ecumenical dialogues."
One can anticipate major discomfort on the part of some of the other Primates to have a woman in their midst. Dr. Williams concluded:
"We are continuing to pray for the General Convention of the Episcopal Church [,USA] as it confronts a series of exceptionally difficult choices." 5
Responding to the Windsor Report:
The Lambeth Commission on Communion was formed in 2003 to find ways by which believers throughout the Anglican Communion could agree to disagree over the question of homosexuality and thereby prevent schism of the Communion. There existed, and still exists, a wide range of beliefs about homosexual orientation and behavior within the Communion. These are primarily caused by cultural differences among the various provinces. On 2004-OCT-18, the Commission's 92 page "Windsor Report" was released to the public. 9
The Commission found certain actions by the Episcopal Church, USA and Anglican Church of Canada to be unacceptable. They expressed regrets:
"...that without attaching sufficient importance to the interests of the wider Communion,
|
Concerning the election and consecration of a gay bishop in a loving and committed relationship, the commission "invited" the Episcopal Church, USA to:
| "...express its regret that the proper constraints of the bonds of affection were breached in the events surrounding the election and consecration of a bishop for the See of New Hampshire, and for the consequences which followed, and that such an expression of regret would represent the desire of the Episcopal Church (USA) to remain within the Communion. |
| "...effect a moratorium on the election and consent to the consecration of any candidate to the episcopate who is living in a same gender union until some new consensus in the Anglican Communion emerges." 10 |
Considering that it has taken three decades after the ordination of the first woman priest before a slim majority of Provinces allow female ordination, it would probably take many generations before a new consensus could possibly emerge in the Communion about homosexual bishops.
Concerning public rites of blessing of loving and committed same-sex unions they recommended:
| "...a moratorium on all such public Rites, and recommend that bishops who have authorized such rites in the United States and Canada be invited to express regret that the proper constraints of the bonds of affection were breached by such authorization." |
| "...that provinces take responsibility for endeavoring to ensure commitment on the part of their bishops to the common life of the Communion on this matter." 11 |
On JUN-20, the delegates to the Episcopal Church's general convention were presented with Resolution 161 which would have accepted the Windsor Report's requests. It would have urged bishops and dioceses to refrain from electing bishops "whose manner of life presents a wider challenge to the wider church." It also directed the denomination to not develop rites for blessing same-sex unions. According to the Episcopal News Service (ENS): "It affirmed the need to provide pastoral care for gay and lesbian Episcopalians -- and at the same time apologized to gays and lesbians for those decisions." It was overwhelmingly rejected with a vote of 67 to 44 by the clergy order and 71 to 38 by the lay order. Both orders must approve a resolution before it is implemented.
The Rt. Rev. Dorsey F. Henderson Jr., bishop of Upper South Carolina, who is the chairperson of the Special Legislative Committee on the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion, proposed Resolution B033. 12 The text reads:
"Resolved, the House of Deputies concurring, That the 75th General Convention receive and embrace The Windsor Report’s invitation to engage in a process of healing and reconciliation; and be it further Resolved, that this Convention therefore call upon Standing Committees and bishops with jurisdiction to exercise restraint by not consenting to the consecration of any candidate to the episcopate whose manner of life presents a challenge to the wider church and will lead to further strains on communion." 13
Presiding Bishop Griswold expressed concern that the delegates might not be able to compromise on a suitable statement. He said:
"If we don't have something substantial, it will be very difficult for the Archbishop of Canterbury to invite the Presiding Bishop to the Lambeth Conference. I do know the complexity of what the Archbishop dealing with, in communion terms, and he needs for something clear to come from the Episcopal Church." 14
The bishops debated to amendments that would have weakened B033. This ceased after Presiding Bishop-elect Katharine Jefferts Schori urged support for the original resolution. She drew an analogy between the Episcopal Church as part of the larger Anglican Communion and the fate of conjoined twins. The analogy occurred to her when Bishop Charles Jenkins of Louisiana talked about there being one church and two minds. She said:
"Ethically, one cannot proceed to separate two conjoined twins until one is reasonably certain both can survive on their own and live full lives. I don't think we're certain that the two offspring are capable of living separately and healthily. My sense is that the original resolution is the best that we're going to do today. But I can only support it if we understand that it's not slamming the door. It has to leave the door open for further conversation and consideration in the very near future....[She confirmed that she is] fully committed to the full inclusion of gay and lesbian Christians in this church. I certainly don't understand adopting this resolution as slamming the door. I think if you do pass this resolution you have to be willing to keep working with all your might at finding a common mind in this church. I don't find this an easy thing to say to you, but I think that is the best we are going to manage at this point in our church's history."
B033 passed with a vote of 75 to 34 in the clergy order, and 73 to 32 in the lay order. Its passage was denounced by individuals on both sides: conservatives were very displeased because it did not accept the Windsor Report's recommendations. Liberals were very displeased because it treated homosexuals and bisexuals as second-class members of the church.
The Rev Dr George Byron Koch, Pastor of the Church of the Resurrection, West Chicago, IL, said:
"The 'conservative' side – whether you agree with it or not – truly does represent the long standing belief of the church about how God has ordered sexual relations. Physically, men and women are designed for sexual union. Men with men and women with women are not: they may devise means for intimacy, but it is not 'natural,' and the church has long understood this, and understood scripture to clearly say so. This is not by any stretch of the imagination an 'extreme wing' of the church."
"The 'liberal' side – whether you agree with it or not – believes the long standing beliefs of the church on this subject are wrong, and that God has ordered sexual relations to include gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered forms. (Transgendered means needing an operation to change your gender because you believe you were born into the wrong gendered body.) They believe that the Holy Spirit is 'doing a new thing' in revealing this broader sexuality model to the church." 17
Both the liberal and conservative wings of the Episcopal Church are totally convinced that their side is right. They regard the other side as being outside of the clear will of God. That mind set is what makes dialog and compromise so difficult.
ENS reported:
| "Deputies debated for 30 minutes before voting. Speakers in support of the measure said they found the resolution to be imperfect but it should be adopted anyway." |
| James Bradberry from the Diocese of Southern Virginia said his support of the failed A161 "was the only vote I've ever cast about which I am genuinely ashamed." He urged adoption of B033 because it would tell the Anglican Communion "we have struggled and done our best, and this is what we have to offer." |
| Philip Linder from the Diocese of Upper South Carolina said: |
"Our presiding bishop and new presiding bishop[-elect] have spoken with clarity about what it will take for us to remain at the table of conversation with the worldwide Anglican Communion....We are a passionate body, but the Anglican Communion is passionate, too."
| The Rev. Andrew Cooley of the Diocese of Colorado said: |
"We are in a centrifuge that is spinning faster and faster, so the left and the right look the same. The center requires strength, courage and a deliberation to remain."
| Tim Baer of the Diocese of Oklahoma said: |
"I realized at this General Convention that I represent the mushy middle. I hope someday in the future the church I love so much will be beyond this debate and engaged in mission."
| The Rev. John Spencer of the Diocese of Quincy said this resolution would not satisfy the requests made of the Episcopal Church by the Windsor Report: |
"It's not even in the ballpark of the request. It's not even in the parking lot of the ballpark. [Adopting the language of this resolution] comes close to the height of hypocrisy". 14
The resolution fell far short of almost all of the requests cited in the Windsor report. The denomination:
| Ignored the request to express regret at the confirmation of Bishop Robinson's consecration. This would presumably require them to say that they had made a mistake. |
| Ignored the request to express regret at the distress that their decisions caused to the larger Anglican Communion. |
| Implied that the Episcopal Church wants to stay in the Anglican Communion. |
| Did declare a non-binding suggestion for a moratorium on the future consecration priests who life exhibits certain, not specifically stated, behaviors. |
| Ignored the request for a firm moratorium on the recognition of loving, committed same-sex relationships. |
| Ignored the request that their bishops be pressured to not allow same-sex rituals. |
Subsequent reactions to B033:
ENS reported:
| Bishop Dorsey Henderson of Upper South Carolina, co-chair of the Special Committee on the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion, said that the resolution was: |
"...an appropriate and blessed way forward, strengthening the Episcopal Church, strengthening the Anglican Communion, without closing any doors unnecessarily."
| Bishop Geralyn Wolf of Rhode Island, a member of the committee, said it is: |
"...the best that we can do. It's a relief to me because my hope is that we can stay in communion and continue the conversation and affirm the Windsor process. Having this vote in both houses says to the Anglican Communion that we are very serious about our relationship."
| Bishop Gene Robinson of New Hampshire expressed some disappointment: |
"The church has a picture of the wide diversity in this church and people have been remarkably honest and loving in all of this. I have been approached by all kinds of people who have felt called to vote for this resolution in order for us to continue the conversation with the Anglican Communion...In some sense, having given the Anglican Communion what it asked for regarding gay and lesbian members of this church, we'll be looking to them to see if they were serious about wanting to be in conversation about this, or whether they wanted this to end the conversation...This is not what we hoped for, but it's what we have, so I'm much more interested in talking about tomorrow than I am about today or yesterday."
| The Rev. Canon David Anderson, president of the American Anglican Council, a conservative activist group, said: |
"I don't think there's the willingness to actually enforce it and carry it out. The best prediction of what a person will do is what they have done before, and a number of the very revisionist bishops have very honestly said, 'We've been doing same-sex blessings, we've been ordaining homosexual persons and we're going to keep right on doing that.' ...I applaud them for their honesty, although I disagree with them."
| The Rev. Susan Russell, president of Integrity, a gay-positive activist group said: |
"I am disappointed that whether or not we go to Lambeth matters more than the lives of gay and lesbian people, and their vocations in this church. At the same time I understand this to be a part of a process. We are on a journey. It is part of an ongoing conversation."
She noted that the General Convention has:
"done nothing about genocide, about evangelism, about the environment, about economics, about all those other hundreds of resolutions that are now going to fall into the abyss because this house has not been able to pull itself up and take some action."
| Katherine Tyler Scott, a deputy and member of the standing committee in the Diocese of Indianapolis, said she had been blessed to work with very diverse people: |
"listening to one another, respecting each other, really hearing and coming to what we thought was a common mind on these issues."
| More than 60 international visitors attended the General Convention. One was Bishop Mano Rumalshah of Peshawar in Pakistan. He said that the resolution: |
"...could have been much more but at least it keeps the door open and allows the dialogue to continue and let's rejoice in that. Let's not give up. Let's not draw the lines too hard. Let's continue to have hope in humanity and each other and in God's spirit that, yes, things can go on." 8
The American Anglican Council (AAC) took a distinctly negative view towards the Convention. AAC CEO and president, the Rev. Canon David C. Anderson wrote:
"The worldwide Communion asked for simple, unambiguous compliance with the Windsor Report, specifically an expression of regret for decisions made in 2003 and subsequent actions, as well as moratoria on consecrations of non-celibate homosexuals and same-sex blessings. The Episcopal Church did not deliver. Instead, both the House of Bishops and House of Deputies bowed to intense pressure from the Presiding Bishop to pass B033, a resolution characterized by ill-defined language with no provision for enforcement or accountability. The legislation 'called upon' standing committees and diocesan bishops to 'exercise restraint' by not consenting to the election of individuals whose 'manner of life presents a challenge to the wider church.' Why was this legislation not cast in Windsor language? It was clear that neither house would have approved Windsor compliance wording...."
"...the Episcopal Church simply refused to address the matter of same-sex blessings. Dodging the issue with a claim that ECUSA has not authorized official rites, General Convention ignored the fact that same-sex blessings are occurring on a regular basis all around the country, performed in churches by Episcopal clergy and bishops. In addition, numerous dioceses have developed, or are in the process of developing, rites of same-sex blessings."
The Archbishop of Canterbury issued a brief comment, stating that the Anglican Communion will have to carefully review the Convention's decisions.
Primates of the Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa (CAPA) issued an open letter stating:
"...reports to date of your elections and actions suggest that you are unable to embrace the essential recommendations of the Windsor Report and the 2005 Primates Communiqué necessary for the healing of our divisions....We assure all those Scripturally faithful dioceses and congregations alienated and marginalised within your Provincial structure that we have heard their cries."
Global South primates are scheduled to meet during 2006-SEP to offer their "concerted pastoral and structural response."
Other resolutions:
On matters relating to human sexuality, ENS reports:
"Deputies concurred with the House of Bishops in opposing the criminalization of homosexuality, opposing state or federal constitutional amendments that prohibits same-gender civil marriage or civil unions and affirming the civil rights of gays and lesbians."
"Another resolution reiterates Episcopal Church support of gay and lesbian people as 'children of God who have a full and equal claim with all other persons upon the love, acceptance, and pastoral concern and care of the Church'."
"Deputies also concurred with bishops in adopting a resolution calling for equal representation of women and men on all decision-making bodies within the church at local, diocesan and national levels. This recommendation originated with the 2005 meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council...."
"Additional resolutions were passed that came from the special committee that considered resolutions in response to the Windsor Report. They reiterated the historic separate and independent status of the churches of the Anglican Communion and affirmed the 'Windsor process' to discern the nature and unity of the church and the report's call for a listening process."
[The House of Deputies] "approved for trial use new liturgies concerning rites of passage, including reaching puberty, earning a driver's license and dating relationships (A067). 15
References:
The following information sources were used to prepare and update the above essay. The hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today.
- "Convention Organizers Prepare for Sensitive Issues," The Living Church, 2006-MAY-16, at: http://www.livingchurch.org/
- Neela Banerjee, "Episcopal Leader Retiring Amid Divisive Debate on Sexuality of Bishops." New York Times," 2006-JUN-11.
- Episcopal News Service, 2006-JUN-18.
- "A Statement from the American Anglican Council on the Election of the Episcopal Church’s 26th Presiding Bishop," Press Release, American Anglican Council, 2006-JUN-18.
- "Archbishop of Canterbury - 'Prayers' for new Presiding Bishop," Anglican Communion News Service, 2006-JUN-19.
- "Announcement of new Presiding Bishop surprises many," at: http://www.missouri.anglican.org/060619.doc This is a Microsoft Word file.
- "From Columbus: Convention sees history unfold as church elected new Presiding Bishop," Episcopal News Service, 2006-JUN-18, at: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/
- Matthew Davies, "From Columbus: Major Windsor action draws mixed reactions," Episcopal News Service, 2006-JUN-21, at: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/
- "General Findings," Commission on Communion, at: http://www.anglicancommunion.org/
- "On elections to the episcopate," Commission on Communion, at: http://www.anglicancommunion.org/
- "On public Rites of Blessing of same sex unions," Commission on Communion, at: http://www.anglicancommunion.org/
- Matthew Davies, "From Columbus: Major Windsor action draws mixed reactions," Episcopal News Service, 2006-JUN-21, at: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/
- "Final version...Resolution B033," at: http://gc2006.org/
- Pat McCaughan, et al,. "UPDATE: From Columbus: Convention responds to Windsor Report's call for moratorium," Episcopal News Service, 2006-JUN-21, at: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/
- Melodie Woerman & Jim DeLa, "From Columbus: Deputies finish work with rapid agenda," Episcopal News Service, 2006-JUN-21, at: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/
- "Letter from the AAC President Following the 75th General Convention of the Episcopal Church," American Anglican Council, 2006-JUN-23, at: http://www.americananglican.org/
- George Byron Koch, "Future of the Episcopal Church and Church of the Resurrection, West Chicago," 2006-JUN-29, at: http://www.resurrection.org/
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Copyright © 2005 & 2006 by Ontario Consultants on
Religious Tolerance
Latest update: 2006-JUL-16
Author: B.A. Robinson
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