Bishops Acting Like Babies

>Associated Press, March 18, 2004
>http://www.startribune.com/stories/670/4672089.html
>Episcopal Church Bishops Meet Amid Tension
>By Richard N. Ostling, AP Religion Writer
> The Episcopal Church's bishops begin a closed-door meeting Friday in
>Texas, where they'll try to quiet the discord that has torn at the
>denomination since the consecration of an openly gay bishop - New
>Hampshire's V. Gene Robinson.
> Robinson is attending his first meeting as part of a hierarchy in
>which 41 percent of bishops who head dioceses voted against his consecration
>and 28 of the bishops have refused to recognize him as a colleague.
> Episcopal headquarters in New York City announced Wednesday that the
>gathering in Navasota, 60 miles northwest of Houston, is not a legislative
>meeting and no major policy decisions are expected. Rather, the schedule
>features speeches and discussions on "reconciliation" within the Episcopal
>Church and the international Anglican Communion of which it's a part.
> The bishops will discuss the current flashpoint, how to handle
>conservative parishes that don't want to quit the Episcopal Church but
>cannot accept the authority of local bishops who favor gay clergy.
> The proposed remedy is to provide dissenting parishes with special
>conservative bishops from outside their dioceses. At an emergency summit
>last October, world Anglicanism's top leaders urged the American church to
>grant dissenters "adequate provision for episcopal oversight."
> The U.S. church leader, Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold, and his
>Council of Advice then proposed a plan allowing outside bishops to the local
>bishop as required by church law, allowing for appeals to regional bodies in
>case of disagreements.
> Conservatives have rejected that. They don't want the local bishops
>to keep their veto power and claim liberals control the regional bodies that
>would hear appeals.
> Griswold will present a rewritten plan at Navasota. Conservative
>leaders complain that they weren't consulted, and bishops weren't given the
>text to study in advance. Griswold repeated Monday that any plan must honor
>local bishops' powers under existing church law.
> The leading conservative bishop is Robert Duncan of Pittsburgh,
>moderator of a "network" formed in January to unite Episcopal dioceses and
>parishes that insist upon the traditional Christian teaching against
>same-sex relationships.
> Duncan said some conservative bishops are boycotting the Navasota
>meeting, some will participate fully and some - like himself - will stay
>offsite and attend only sessions treating the church fracture.
> Duncan said the church must "come to its senses" and help
>conservatives because "the present course is a suicidal course, or at least
>a fratricidal course."
> Matters escalated last Sunday when five Episcopal bishops led a
>rebel confirmation service in Akron, Ohio congregations that spurned local
>Bishop J. Clark Grew II, a Robinson supporter.
> Maurice Benitez, retired bishop of the Texas Diocese and spokesman
>for the five bishops, said if the hierarchy produces an "acceptable plan"
>for visiting bishops, "these kinds of measures may no longer be necessary."
>The implication: If not, there will be further violations.
> Duncan said that if the Navasota meeting doesn't heed conservative
>appeals there will be "continuing chaos," not only Akron-type protests but
>congregations leaving the Episcopal Church.
> Griswold's Council of Advice said the five bishops broke church law,
>since Grew did not approve the confirmations, and appealed for unity against
>forces that "seek to sow the seeds of division."
> Grew said the Akron service might have been an attempt to
>"manipulate" the Navasota meeting while Griswold suggested the event was
>intended to "co-opt the bishops' agenda."







The Rev. Ann Fontaine
Lander, Wyoming
www.seashellseller.blogspot.com/