Church Task Force on Marriage Issues Progress Report

The Church Task Force on the Study of Marriage, created by Resolution A050 at the 2012 General Convention of the Episcopal Church in Indianapolis, today issued a report on the progress it has made since convening last year.

A video presentation was sent to both the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies (clergy and laity elected to represent their dioceses), with written reflection questions. The Chair and Vice-Chair of the Task Force gave a presentation at the meeting of the House of Bishops at Camp Allen in Texas last month, at which the responses were presented.

"It became clear from the input we received that there is a profound level of support and concern for the work we have been asked to do," said the Rev. Brian C. Taylor, Chair of the Task Force. "Episcopalians care deeply about marriage and its potential for bringing joy and grace and for helping people become more fully alive and faithful as God’s agents of love and reconciliation in this world."

One of the key charges of the task force is to address the pastoral involvement of clergy in places where civil same-gender marriage is permitted. The response thus far has been piecemeal as dioceses choose to (or choose not to) craft their own policies, some using the provisional rite created to bless such relationships and also adopted by the Convention. The Task force "“feels that it is part of our responsibility to propose something for the church’s consideration that could offer consistency to what is currently taking place," Taylor explained.

In June, the Task Force will release a portfolio of resources for individuals and groups to use to discuss the issue.

The group also created its own Facebook page and Youtube channel encourages Episcopalians to interact with them via social media.  One-minute videos reflecting on "how you see God in relationships" may be emailed to taskforceonmarriage@gmail.com.


  Integrity's Communications Director, Mel Soriano, Created this video for the Task Force on Marriage  

The Task Force was created as a directive of Resolution A050 at the 2012 Convention of the Episcopal Church in Indianapolis.   The Rev. Canon Susan Russell, former President of Integrity, and the Rev. Cameron Partridge, Co-Convener of TransEpiscopal, are among the members.

To learn more about the report, visit Episcopal News Service.

Susan Russell: An Unexpected Blessing

When Integrity's Treasurer, Elisabeth Jacobs, asked me last week if I would "write something about marriage equality for the Integrity blog" of course I said I’d be happy to. And I thought I’d jump right in and write a quick piece about how encouraging it was to see the dozens of bishops stepping up and signing the amici ("friends of the court") briefs that went to the Supreme Court on the pending marriage equality cases.

I thought I’d reflect back on what an extraordinary shift there has been in the Episcopal Church – in what is arguably an astoundingly short period of time.

I planned to begin by recalling the day in June of 2003 when the House of Bishops' Theology Committee was literally shamed into inviting then-Integrity President Michael Hopkins and me to come meet with them. I say "shamed" because they were on the verge of finishing their presentation on Human Sexuality for the upcoming General Convention of the Episcopal Church  and they had not included the voices, perspective or input of a single, out gay or lesbian person. Not. One.

And so they invited us to come. To Chicago. At Seabury-Western. Where we were ushered into a large conference room with a big circle of bishops and theologians and two empty chairs near the door … one for Michael and one for me. And we had an entire hour of their time. And they were scrupulously polite as we told our stories and talked about our vision – Integrity’s vision – of a church where all the baptized were fully included in all the sacraments. And they thanked us. And we were ushered out. And it felt like nothing so much as a trip to the zoo – only rather than going to the zoo, the zoo had come to them – and we were the "live in captivity: actually gay and lesbian people!" they had arranged to come so they could say they did.

What a difference a decade makes.

I don’t flatter myself that anything Michael or I did or said that day moved any heart or changed any mind. Not in and of themselves. What we did that day was what we had done many, many times in the past … and would do many, many, MANY times moving forward: we showed up. We did what those who’d gone before us – on whose shoulders we stood in that conference room full of bishops in Chicago – had done in order to even get us in that room: we told our story. And we did what our spiritual ancestor – the persistent widow in Luke's Gospel – did when confronted with the unjust judge: we kept coming back … again and again.

So that’s the blog I was going to write. To celebrate the power of story and persistence to work with the Holy Spirit to move the Episcopal Church from a time when our bishops had to be shamed into even talking to us to a time when every-bishop-save-one (Albany) in a jurisdiction with civil marriage equality signed a friend of the court brief calling for the repeal of DOMA (the so-called "Defense of Marriage Act") and an end to federal discrimination against married couples of the same sex.

And then today I woke up to the "breaking news" that Rob Portman – a conservative, Republican congressman from Ohio – had "come out" for marriage equality. In his op-ed in the Columbus Dispatch, Rep. Portman wrote:

"Knowing that my son is gay prompted me to consider the issue from another perspective: that of a dad who wants all three of his kids to lead happy, meaningful lives with the people they love, a blessing Jane and I have shared for 26 years.

I wrestled with how to reconcile my Christian faith with my desire for Will to have the same opportunities to pursue happiness and fulfillment as his brother and sister. Ultimately, it came down to the Bible’s overarching themes of love and compassion and my belief that we are all children of God."

Ultimately, he made the decision for equality not in spite of his faith but because of it – but it was "knowing that my son is gay" that prompted him to open his heart and change his mind.

And so I’m glad I waited until today to sit down and write the blog on marriage equality Elisabeth Jacobs asked me to write last week. I’m delighted that there is yet-another-example of the power of speaking up, stepping out and showing up to bend that arc of history toward justice.

Yes, it would be nice if everybody figured out that "liberty and justice for all" really means ALL whether or not they have a gay kid. AND ... when they do figure it out ... we say thank you. Not only because our mothers brought us up right... but because [a] it's the right thing to do and [b] because we know they're getting slammed from the other side. So do the right thing. Make your mother proud. Do what I did and call Rob Portman's office and leave a message and thank him. Seriously. Go. Do it. Now: 202-224-3353

And then invite others to go and do likewise. Because this is yet another way of standing up, showing up and speaking out with that great cloud of witnesses – including our Patron Saint "The Persistent Widow" – determined to come back again and again until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like an ever flowing stream.

 - SUSAN RUSSELL +


The Rev. Canon Susan Russell has served as Integrity's President and is currently the convener of Claiming the Blessing, a national collaborative ministry focused on the full inclusion of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender baptized into the Episcopal Church. She is also a founding member of the Human Rights Campaign’s Religion Council and a regular contributor to the Huffington Post's religion forum. Her personal blog may be found at An Inch at a Time.

ACC Joint Standing Committee report on House of Bishops

The Joint Standing Committee of the Anglican Consultative Council and the Primates of the Anglican Communion have now submitted their Report on The Episcopal Church House of Bishops of Meeting in New Orleans. The Archbishop of Canterbury has sent the Report to all the Primates and to all members of the Anglican Consultative Council and asked them to consult in their Provinces on the Report, and respond to him by the end of October.

A PDF of the Report can be found here.

More discussion here

Canon Anderson connects the dots

Canon (and Nigerian Bishop-Elect) David Anderson speaks of New Orleans at anglican-mainstream.net:

The real test for the orthodox in TEC is to NOT be pulled into a Vichy-type collaborationist relationship with a regime of corrupted faith and theology.

Bishop McKelvey (Rochester) Debriefs About New Orleans

September 28, 2007

To the Clergy and Lay Leadership of the Diocese

Friends:

As I traveled home from the House of Bishops meeting, I gave some thought to specific messages that I bring home with me from New Orleans. As you read the various statements, I would ask you to keep the following in mind:

1. The House of Bishops meeting, which spent considerable time dealing with our words to the Anglican Communion, also spent considerable time in concern and action that related to the ministry and mission of God's Church.
2. Many of us spent time in New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast and learned first hand about issues that are important in both places.
3. The people in New Orleans were gracious and most appreciative of our meeting in their city. In addition to the appreciation and their pioneer spirit, there is sadness, discouragement, and depression with relatively few mental health resources.
4. Poverty, which has for so long been part of the landscape, and racism, which helps it continue, has been uncovered by Katrina—a new light shines on the affect of racism and the continuing poverty of many people.
5. The Episcopal Church in New Orleans and in the Diocese of Mississippi are among the most organized and dedicated forces to help in recovery work of body, mind, and soul.

Regarding the statement made to our Anglican partners, I would say the following:

• We restated and reconfirmed actions taken by our General Convention 2006. We did not make new statements which would compromise the role of priests, deacons, and lay people in our church's polity.
• We find ourselves in a place stating that we are not of one mind and that we have a deep and abiding pastoral concern for all the members of this church. Though that appreciation is clear to many of us, it remains a major sadness of mine that we did not more specifically and clearly highlight the ministry , the care, and the gifts of our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters in the church. I am sorry that we were not clearer with that statement.
• We quoted the Primates in their May 2003 statement saying that we have a pastoral duty, "to respond with love and understanding to people of all sexual orientations." They further stated, ". . . It is necessary to maintain a breadth of private response to situations of individual pastoral care." This will be honored in the Diocese of Rochester and I believe in many dioceses throughout our church.
• The incursion of bishops from other provinces and people consecrated from within our church by bishops of other provinces must cease! This is a uniting force in The Episcopal Church. Perhaps nothing else brings us more together than the violation of these actions from the bishops of other provinces.
• We were able to move the Bishop of New Hampshire's invitation to the Lambeth Conference in 2008 from a personal Gene Robinson issue to a concern of our House of Bishops. It is hoped that ongoing discussion will issue a full participation invitation to Lambeth for the Bishop of New Hampshire.

Finally, we struggled for clarity amidst our differences. We worked hard not to lose ground and to stand as firm as we could. Let us continue the struggle to that end.

The Rt. Rev. Jack M. McKelvey
VII Bishop of Rochester

A Letter From The Presiding Bishop Of The Reformed Anglican Catholic Church

There has been a lot of publicity about the meeting of the Episcopal Church's House of Bishops and the disappointing outcome. In light of the current situation, I felt it necessary to offer our prayerful support to those LGBT persons who had their marginalization reaffirmed. As Susan Russell, the president of Integrity so eloquently put it, "For these same bishops who were blackmailed into bigotry by passing B033 in Columbus reaffirmed yesterday in New Orleans that their commitment to tea at Lambeth trumps their commitment to the full inclusion of all the baptized in the Body of Christ."

Please read and feel free to forward and/or publish the attached Pastoral Letter to as many people as appropriate.

Peace and blessings,

+Timothy Edwards, Presiding Bishop
The Reformed Anglican Catholic Church

Hurricane HoB Cleanup Continues

Progressive Episcopalians of Pittsburgh

• Bishops’ Response Adequate, If Inconsistent

Associated Press

• Bishops hope stance on gays mends schism

Scripps Howard News Service

• Episcopal leaders struggle to find a clear message

Diocese of Arizona

• Bishop Kirk Smith on the New Orleans House of Bishop's Meeting
  
  

The Aftermath Of Hurricane HoB

Episcopal News Service

• House of Bishops' statement draws mixed reactions
• House of Deputies president responds to House of Bishops statement
• Akinola rebuffs response from Episcopal Church's House of Bishops
• Bishops provide 'clarity' in response to Primates' communiqué
• ACC, Primates Joint Standing Committee adjourns, initiates report to Archbishop of Canterbury Communion-wide response to House of Bishops necessary, committee members say
• Presiding Bishop: A Word to the Church

Anglican Communion News Service

• Statement by the Secretary General on behalf of the Joint Standing Committee of the Primates and the Anglican Consultative Council

The Living Church

• Bishops Conclude Meeting With Response to Primates

Anglican Journal (Canada)

• U.S. bishops echo General Convention in message to Anglican Communion

Changing Attitude (UK)

• Changing Attitude England responds to the HOB statement

Changing Attitude Nigeria

• Changing Attitude Nigeria responds to the HOB statement

Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement (UK)

• UK gay Christians disappointed at American Church decision

Los Angeles Times

• Episcopal bishops promise 'restraint'

Christian Science Monitor

• Episcopal bishops move to ease clash over gays

Chicago Tribune

• Episcopals give ground on gay bishops

Agence France Presse

• US Anglicans agree to halt gay bishop ordinations

TEC bishops have bent the knee to the will of the bully

Giles Fraser, Vicar of Putney comments in The Guardian:

After months of "Anglican church to divide" headlines, the end is, at last, nigh. Those Anglicans who are really no more than fundamentalists in vestments will split off and form a version of the continuing Anglican church, or whatever they will call it. And the moderate conservatives and the moderate progressives will settle down to business as usual. After much worry, the Archbishop of Canterbury will be able to have a good night's sleep. The church is safe.

snip

The sad truth is, the issue of homosexuality isn't splitting the Anglican communion: it's uniting it like never before. Before this great global row, we hardly knew each other existed. Anglicans in the pews could hardly care less about Christians in the next door parish, let alone care for those thousands of miles away in Africa or Asia. But as crisis looms, common cause has been achieved. The Rt Rev Gene Robinson, Bishop of New Hampshire, has brought people together: hands across the ocean, united in homophobia.

It was the Episcopal church that held out longest against unholy unification. But in agreeing to these terms, they too have now bent the knee to the will of the collective bully. The fact that a fringe of rabid evangelicals may now quit the church must not distract from Rowan Williams's achievement in keeping us all together. A crisis has been averted. Gay people remain firmly on the outside; used by the church for vicars and vergers and sacristans, but officially little more than outcasts.

I have never been persuaded that Jesus was gay, as some do believe. But there is no doubt that he too was the outsider, despised and rejected. He also was the victim of official religious persecution. Which is why the other passage that today's Christians ought to give some thought to is the one from St Matthew's gospel that goes: "Just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me."

Read it all here

Oasis/California Responds To HoB Statement

SAN FRANCISCO, CA--Actions by American bishops are unlikely to change how the Episcopal Church ministers to lesbian, gay bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people around the Bay Area, the president of the Episcopal Diocese of California's Oasis ministry to LGBT people said today.

"Across the Bay Area, many Episcopal Churches will continue to welcome, baptize, confirm and bless LGBT individuals, couple and families," Oasis President Thomas Jackson said. A list of Bay Area Episcopal Churches that welcome LGBT people is available on the Oasis California website.

"On balance, we lost little ground in the bishop's actions. We gained the bishop's 'unequivocal support for civil rights for lesbian, gay bisexual and transgender (LGBT) persons;' support for including the church's only openly gay bishop in an upcoming Anglican council; and affirming LGBT people are part of this church," Jackson said. "These are important steps forward."

Technically, he added, a rite for blessing same gender couples has yet to be approved in the Diocese of California. In the absence of an approved rite, Bishop of California Marc Andrus has established a process for clergy to use in same gender blessing gender couples. Proposed rites for blessing same gender couples will be considered next month during the diocese's 2007 convention.

"We're disappointed the bishops made more explicit their intention to refuse to approve any 'non-celibate gay and lesbian persons' who are selected by a diocese to become a bishop. It is ironic for bishops to adopt this form of discrimination and at the same time voice a 'clear and outspoken in our shared commitment to establish and protect the civil rights of gay and lesbian persons," Jackson added. "By making their discrimination against gay or lesbian bishops more blatant, the bishops have simply set the stage for a reversal of this action at the Church's next General Convention in 2009."

A Response to Questions and Concerns Raised by our Anglican Communion Partners

House of Bishops of The Episcopal Church
New Orleans, Louisiana
September 25, 2007

In accordance with Our Lord's high priestly prayer that we be one, and in the spirit of Resolution A159 of the 75th General Convention, and in obedience to his Great Commission to go into the world and make disciples, and in gratitude for the gift of the Anglican Communion as a sign of the Holy Spirit's ongoing work of reconciliation throughout the world, we offer the following to the Episcopal Church, the Primates, the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC), and the larger Communion, with the hope of "mending the tear in the fabric" of our common life in Christ.

"I do it all for the sake of the Gospel so that I might share in its blessings." 1 Corinthians 9:23

Introduction

The House of Bishops expresses sincere and heartfelt thanks to the Archbishop of Canterbury and members of the Joint Standing Committee of the Anglican Consultative Council and the Primates for accepting our invitation to join us in New Orleans. By their presence they have both honored us and assisted us in our discernment. Their presence was a living reminder of the unity that is Christ's promised gift in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Much of our meeting time was spent in continuing discernment of our relationships within the Anglican Communion. We engaged in careful listening and straightforward dialogue with our guests. We expressed our passionate desire to remain in communion. It is our conviction that The Episcopal Church needs the Anglican Communion, and we heard from our guests that the Anglican Communion needs The Episcopal Church.

The House of Bishops offers the following responses to our Anglican Communion partners. We believe they provide clarity and point toward next steps in an ongoing process of dialogue. Within The Episcopal Church the common discernment of God's call is a lively partnership among laypersons, bishops, priests, and deacons, and therefore necessarily includes the Presiding Bishop, the Executive Council, and the General Convention.

Summary

• We reconfirm that resolution B033 of General Convention 2006 (The Election of Bishops) calls upon bishops with jurisdiction and Standing Committees "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."
• We pledge as a body not to authorize public rites for the blessing of same-sex unions.
• We commend our Presiding Bishop's plan for episcopal visitors.
• We deplore incursions into our jurisdictions by uninvited bishops and call for them to end.
• We support the Presiding Bishop in seeking communion-wide consultation in a manner that is in accord with our Constitution and Canons.
• We call for increasing implementation of the listening process across the Communion and for a report on its progress to Lambeth 2008.
• We support the Archbishop of Canterbury in his expressed desire to explore ways for the Bishop of New Hampshire to participate in the Lambeth Conference.
• We call for unequivocal and active commitment to the civil rights, safety, and dignity of gay and lesbian persons.

Click here to read the entire statement.
An Integrity press release will be posted soon.

Episcopal bishops see "clear" statement on gays

By Russell McCulley
Reuters

NEW ORLEANS, Sept 24 (Reuters) - U.S. Episcopal Church bishops, hammering out a response to a request by the broader Anglican Communion that it stop ordaining openly gay bishops, said on Monday its answer would be "clear and unambiguous."

The church also said it would not withdraw its support for gay and lesbian church members, indicating that the Anglican struggle over the issue between liberals and traditionalists that could split the worldwide church is far from over.

"We want that statement to be clear and unambiguous and we are working in that direction," Bishop Neil Alexander of Atlanta told a news briefing in New Orleans, where the House of Bishops has been meeting.

The church leaders will wrap up six days of meetings on Tuesday with a response to the request made by senior Anglican bishops meeting in Tanzania earlier this year.

Those bishops asked that the U.S. church, by the end of this month, renounce the blessing of same-sex marriages and agree not to allow more non-celibate gays to become bishops.

"Are we going to withdraw our support of gay and lesbian people in the church? No, we're not ... They're fully enfranchised members of our body," said Bishop Jon Bruno of Los Angeles.

"Are we going to do anything that will exacerbate this situation? No, I don't think we will."

Click here to read the rest.

House of Bishops talks make 'enormous progress,' go into overtime

Bishops discount earlier reports of draft document

By Pat McCaughan and Mary Frances Schjonberg, September 24, 2007

[Episcopal News Service, New Orleans] After a day of mostly closed-door and overtime sessions, Episcopal bishops on September 24 said they'd made "enormous progress" toward a productive response to the concerns of Anglican Primates.

"This is a continuing process of discernment and clarification of the relationship of the Episcopal Church with the whole Anglican Communion" as regards church polity, the ordination of Bishop Gene Robinson of New Hampshire and other issues arising from that decision, Bishop David Alvarez of Puerto Rico told reporters at an evening news conference.

"Through this process we have proven the quality of life of this church in which we can talk openly with each other and in which we can differ but also pray together," he added.

He was joined by Bishop J. Neil Alexander of Atlanta and Bishop J. Jon Bruno of Los Angeles, who called earlier reports about a draft document inaccurate. "There is no draft at this point," Alexander said emphatically. "We've made enormous progress today in building a very strong and broad consensus in the House of Bishops but we still have work to do."

The bishops said they want to respond in as clear and concise a manner as possible to the Anglican Primates' February 19 communiqué, issued in Dar es Salaam, and which asked the House of Bishops to "make an unequivocal common covenant that the bishops will not authorize any Rite of Blessing for same-sex unions in their dioceses or through General Convention."

It also asked that bishops respond to their request to "confirm that the passing of Resolution B033 of the 75th General Convention means that a candidate for episcopal orders living in a same-sex union shall not receive the necessary consent unless some new consensus on these matters emerges across the Communion" by September 30.

"We are working very closely with one another, whether conservative or liberal or moderate" to come up with a response, Bruno said.

In response to a reporter's queries about the future course of the church and possible breakaway dioceses reformulating under an overseas or other archbishop, Alvarez said: "We have been addressing precisely that issue as openly as possible, recognizing the divisiveness and controversy around it. We are very clear that we may have some people who are not in agreement with the majority positions taken by both houses of General Convention, but," he added, "that doesn't mean we can foresee a significant breakaway or division of the Episcopal Church."

Alexander said the challenges of the past few years and throughout the history of the Anglican Communion have shown "over and over how tough the fabric of our common life is. We have experienced a hard pull on our fabric but we're a tough bunch. We're faithful to the mission and ministry of Jesus and we believe that, at the end of the day, the Anglican Communion will find a way forward in mission and ministry."

Despite repeated efforts to focus the news conference on issues of human sexuality and possible schism, the bishops emphasized that the tone of their conversations are respectful, and their goal is to develop a clear, concise response for the Primates without reversing support for gay and lesbian people.

"Are we going to withdraw our support of gay and lesbian people in the church -- no," Bruno said. "They are fully enfranchised members of our body." But he added: "Are we going to do anything to exacerbate this situation? No, we won't, and we're waiting to see how our response will be received."

Alvarez agreed, adding that is an "issue of justice, love and the Gospel. That's not something you turn back."

Click here to read the rest.

A Message From The Consultation To The House Of Bishops

September 24, 2007

The Consultation

Integrity
TransEpiscopal
Episcopal Urban Caucus
Episcopal Peace Fellowship
Episcopal Women’s Caucus
Union of Black Episcopalians
Episcopal Ecological Network
National Episcopal AIDS Coalition
Province VIII Indigenous Ministries
Episcopal Church Publishing Company
Episcopal Network for Economic Justice
Episcopal Asiaamerica Ministry Advocates
Associated Parishes for Liturgy and Mission

A message from The Consultation to the House of Bishops as it deliberates its message to the Church.

The thirteen constituent members of The Consultation, representative of the independent justice organizations of The Episcopal Church, meeting September 23-24 in Newark, wish to remind the members of the House of Bishops that they represent one house of the General Convention, and one consistency of the baptized in The Episcopal Church.

Any message you make must be mindful of the fact that the Executive Council has made a very clear statement on the matter before you and that General Convention will not speak on this matter until its meeting in 2009.

We have in mind the language of the Baptismal Covenant which calls us to respect the dignity of every human being. It is not respectful of our lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender sisters and brothers when we tell them that they are full participants in the church and then place restrictions on their participation at any level of the church’s life.

In the preamble of the 2006 platform of The Consultation we affirm that we see the image of God and the Christ in others and ourselves. We believe that all the baptized are called to share in the governance and mission of the Church at all levels. We see the increase of power claimed by the episcopate as imbalance in The Body.

We urge you to have these things in the forefront of your minds and hearts, as you craft this statement. The sacred vows of The Baptismal Covenant and the tradition and heritage of the participatory governance of The Episcopal Church must not be squandered for a single Lambeth conference.

We urge you as bishops not to walk apart from the rest of the priesthood of all believers in The Episcopal Church, and to embrace the unconditional love of God as made incarnate in the radical inclusion of Jesus Christ. May the Holy Spirit be with you to guide you in all strength and courage in these difficult days as ordained leaders in The Church.

HoB: Struggling To Achieve An "Articulate And Clear" Consensus

Bishops Alvarez, Alexander and Bruno answering press questions at the close of the day. Photo © 2007 by Integrity.

The House of Bishops went in and out of executive session (closed to press) several times this afternoon as they struggled with the draft statement presented this morning. The blogosphere is full of rumors about what transpired in the early afternoon--perhaps argument about how the various resolutions from the bishops would relate to the final statement--but we do know that a second draft of the statement was presented to the bishops in the late afternoon. They went well past their planned end time discussing this draft.

When the bishops finally concluded for the day, a press conference was held. Bishops David Alvarez (Puerto Rico), Neil Alexander (Atlanta), and Jon Bruno (Los Angeles) were the designated spokespersons. They said the statement is not complete, but that they had made progress at reaching consensus. The document will be refined overnight and finished tomorrow--perhaps by noon. Bruno said the bishops were striving for a statement that was "articulate and clear." The other spokespersons echoed the theme of a straightforward response to the primates' communique that reflected the mind of the entire house. They said it is not yet clear how the various resolutions would be incorporated into the final statement, but that the resolutions were contributing to the conversation. They emphasized that the final statement would be much different than the first draft discussed this morning. They stated their belief that the statement would be well received by the Anglican Communion and by the majority of the members of Episcopal Church.

Here's the bottom line for this writer: We don't know what the final statement will say. Let us pray that our bishops will rise to this occasion, but let us not be surprised if we are once again disappointed by the councils of the church.

House of Bishops begins to draft Primates' communiqué response

Episcopal Life Online
September 24, 2007
By Pat McCaughan

[Episcopal News Service, New Orleans] Solidarity with the disenfranchised guided the discussion September 24 as the House of Bishops began to draft its formal statement to the Episcopal Church and the worldwide Anglican Communion culminating its five-day meeting in New Orleans.

Bishops suggested strengthening language regarding the incursion of overseas bishops into dioceses other than their own, and dividing the lengthy draft into two separate documents. One text would deal specifically with hurricane relief and the other with the response to the Primates' communiqué issued in February.

Bishop Charles Jenkins of Louisiana and numerous others suggested that a statement be developed to highlight the need for justice work in all dioceses on issues such as racism, classism, as well as the failed response for hurricane victims. Another document would deal with the response to the February Primates' communiqué.

Bishop Mark Hollingsworth, Jr. of Ohio said "Resolution B033
(http://gc2006.org/legislation/view_leg_detail.aspx?id=433&type=CURRENT) is the most honest expression of where the Episcopal Church stands" while asking to clarify language about the blessing of same-gender unions. B033 called for the exercise of restraint when consecrating bishops "whose manner of life" presents a challenge to the wider communion.

Bishop J. Jon Bruno of Los Angeles also said that the resolution needs to be clearer in saying "that we're going to abide by the decisions of General Convention."

Bishop Wayne Wright of Delaware, who chaired the writing committee, cautioned that the discussion was about a "draft only" and that a final statement would not be released until it had been adopted on September 25 by the bishops. The document itself was withheld and its contents embargoed until it can be finalized.

"This is only a draft," Wright emphasized. "Tomorrow we will perfect and adopt it and then it will be released."

The document is expected to serve as a response to the Primates' communiqué.

After receiving the initial draft, bishops conferred with one another briefly at their tables. Some bishops then moved to microphones to offer responses frequently interrupted with applause and encouragement.

"This process represents what is best about the Episcopal Church and how our bishops work together; our meetings are open and we work together as colleagues to develop a statement that will express fully our minds and our hearts," committee chair Wright said.

Bishop Barry Beisner of Northern California called for strengthening of language regarding bishops' incursions into geographic dioceses other than their own. "General Convention voted for resolution B033 and we stand by what they did," he told bishops.

After spending a day involved in hurricane rebuilding and recovery efforts, bishops said they were "shocked and outraged" at conditions in New Orleans and Mississippi, including delayed and in some cases nonexistent rebuilding and recovery efforts.

Bishop Dorsey Henderson of Upper South Carolina voiced his own sense of "fury at dishonest contractors' exploitation" of hurricane victims, many of whom two years later still face overwhelming devastation. His remarks were heartily applauded.

-- The Rev. Patricia McCaughan is senior associate for parish life at St.
George's Church and Academy in Laguna Hills, California. She is also a correspondent for the Diocese of Los Angeles and Episcopal News Service.

HoB: Draft Message Presented & Discussed

Bishops line up at microphones to comment on the draft message. Photo © 2007 by Integrity.

Late Monday morning, the House of Bishops (HoB) meeting was opened to the press. Bishop Wright of Delaware introduced a draft message from the HoB. The writing committee took turns reading it aloud to the house. A copy of the document was not provided to the press.

The draft expressed concern for conditions in New Orleans two years after the Hurricane Katrina, but largely dealt with the "requests" in the primates' communiqué.

The draft expressed regret that some bishops choose to leave after the sessions with the Archbishop of Canterbury (ABC) and did not participate in subsequent dialogs. The ABC and other international visitors made it clear to the House of Bishops that The Episcopal Church (TEC) needs the Anglican Communion (AC) and vice versa. It acknowledged that the bishops clearly heard from the visitors that some in the AC are very concerned about TEC's recent actions.

The draft then listed some very specific responses...

1. It expressed support for the Presiding Bishop's plan to provide episcopal visitors to parishes who disagree with their bishop's theological position. However, it does not support such episcopal visitors from outside our province.


2. It expressed a willingness to continue dialog on an alternative primatial oversight plan that meets the pastoral needs of conservative dioceses without violating TEC's constitution. It supported an immediate end to "incursions" by other primates who have ordained bishops in the United States.


3. It encouraged all provinces to engage in the "listening process."


4. It acknowledged that the HoB is divided on B033. It asked the AC to be patient with TEC as it continues its dialog on this issue.


5. It clarified that TEC has not authorized rites for same-sex blessings. It acknowledged that some bishops allow same-sex blessing as a pastoral response to the needs of LGBT people in their dioceses.


6. It asked the ABC to invite a group of bishops (appointed by the Presiding Bishop) to help the ABC facilitate Gene Robinsons' presence at Lambeth.


7. It reaffirmed the full equality of LGBT people within the Episcopal Church.

The bishops discussed the draft in table groups for 15 minutes, and then made public comments to the entire house for and against parts of the draft. The writing group will consider these comments as it prepares a second draft-which will be presented to the house on Tuesday.

Yet More Press Coverage Of HoB Meeting

Chicago Tribune

• Presiding bishop asks church to set aside 'abundant disdain' for differences

BBC News

• US Anglicans meet over gay clergy

Pink News

• Archbishop of Canterbury: Homosexuality is not a disease

Telegraph

• Anglican Church in crisis talks to avert schism

Chicago Tribune

• Tensions high among Episcopal bishops

HoB Photos From Sunday, September 23rd

The Presiding Bishop preaching at Christ Church Cathedral.


The Presiding Bishop dedicating the Elysian Trumpet in memory of Irvin Mayfield, Sr., and all who died in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.


Irvin Mayfield playing the Elysian Trumpet.

The Presiding Bishop celebrating at Christ Church Cathedral.

Bishop Tom Shaw (Diocese of Massachusetts) during his interview with John Gibson.

All photos © 2007 by Integrity.

More Press Coverage Of HoB Meeting

Chicago Tribune

• Anglican gay-bishop stance is put to the test in Chicago

Washington Post

• Anglican Leader Plays Down Schism

USA Today

• Anglicans meet amid growing discord

Telegraph

• Archbishop prays for miracle in gay rights row

Agence France Presse

• Anglican leaders hope to avoid schism over gay clergy

New York Times

• Episcopal Church Remains Divided on Gay Issues