EPISCOPAL LEADERS VOW RESTRAINT?
In a move that may have prevented a schism in the Anglican Communion, Episcopal Church leaders have vowed to practice restraint in the ordination of Gay bishops and blessing of same sex unions. The next step will be to see if our more liberal church leaders here and the reactionary conservative Anglican bishops out of Africa, primarily in Nigeria and Uganda can behave themselves and behave like adults. Such behavior will take restraint, the Wisdom of Solomon, the Patience of Job, and the sense of humor of the Marx Brothers to keep our Church whole and growing.
Many prayers have been said to get us this far, intact. Many more are going to need to be said to keep us whole, but maybe, just maybe there is light at the end of this tunnel!
I think some prayers of praise and thanksgiving are in order – so far!
I don't think the non-Episcopalian realizes how much we love our church. We may be the 'bastard' step-children of the Catholic Church, therefor we try to act more "Catholic" than our 'legitimate' older sibling, but it is our beloved church.
Sigh - I could sure use a good very dirty olive martini, shaken, not stirred right about now!
"...Episcopal leaders, pressured to roll back their support for gays to keep the world Anglican family from crumbling, affirmed Tuesday that they will "exercise restraint" in approving another gay bishop and will not authorize prayers to bless same-sex couples.
The statement mostly reiterated earlier pledges by the church, and it will not be known for some time whether the bishops went far enough to help prevent an Anglican schism.
Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori said she believed the document met the requests of Anglican leaders. But some Episcopal conservatives immediately rejected the statement as too weak, because it does not bar gays and lesbians from becoming bishops.
Bishops released the statement in the final hour of an intense six-day meeting and at a crucial moment in the decades-long Anglican debate over how the Bible should be interpreted.
The 77-million-member world Anglican Communion has been splintering since 2003, when Episcopalians consecrated the first openly gay bishop, V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire. The Episcopal Church is the Anglican body in the U.S.
Anglican leaders had set a Sunday deadline for the Americans to pledge unequivocally not to consecrate another gay bishop or approve an official prayer service for same-sex couples.
Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, the Anglican spiritual leader, took the unusual step of attending the meeting for the first two days, pushing bishops to make concessions for the sake of unity. Anglican lay and clergy representatives from overseas also participated, scolding Episcopal leaders for the turmoil they've caused. Williams and other Anglican leaders will evaluate the statement in the coming weeks.
Robinson said the talks with Williams and Anglican leaders were "the two hardest days since my consecration." But he said thought the document was fair.
"I think people came here thinking this was going to be Katrina II," he said. "And what in fact happened was a coming together of the bishops of the church."
However, Episcopal conservatives noted that many priests will still conduct same-gender blessing ceremonies, despite the lack of an official prayer. Critics also said the bishops aren't doing enough to provide alternative leadership for conservative dioceses.
"This is a 'try to keep your foot in the door' maneuvering effort," said Canon Kendall Harmon, a leading conservative from the Diocese of South Carolina.
Conservative Bishop John Howe of the Diocese of Central Florida said the statement wouldn't satisfy all the Anglican leaders. But Howe said "most will find it acceptable." Howe is staying in the Episcopal Church, even though his diocese, based in Orlando, has rejected Jefferts Schori as a leader because she is liberal.
In the document, the bishops reconfirmed a resolution passed last year by the Episcopal General Convention, urging bishops "to exercise restraint" by not consenting to a candidate for bishop "whose manner of life presents a challenge" the church and the communion.
Episcopal leaders also demanded that overseas Anglican leaders stop coming into the U.S. to take oversight of breakaway conservative Episcopal parishes. Anglican leaders from Nigeria, Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda and elsewhere have consecrated bishops to oversee congregations in the United States...."
The statement mostly reiterated earlier pledges by the church, and it will not be known for some time whether the bishops went far enough to help prevent an Anglican schism.
Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori said she believed the document met the requests of Anglican leaders. But some Episcopal conservatives immediately rejected the statement as too weak, because it does not bar gays and lesbians from becoming bishops.
Bishops released the statement in the final hour of an intense six-day meeting and at a crucial moment in the decades-long Anglican debate over how the Bible should be interpreted.
The 77-million-member world Anglican Communion has been splintering since 2003, when Episcopalians consecrated the first openly gay bishop, V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire. The Episcopal Church is the Anglican body in the U.S.
Anglican leaders had set a Sunday deadline for the Americans to pledge unequivocally not to consecrate another gay bishop or approve an official prayer service for same-sex couples.
Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, the Anglican spiritual leader, took the unusual step of attending the meeting for the first two days, pushing bishops to make concessions for the sake of unity. Anglican lay and clergy representatives from overseas also participated, scolding Episcopal leaders for the turmoil they've caused. Williams and other Anglican leaders will evaluate the statement in the coming weeks.
Robinson said the talks with Williams and Anglican leaders were "the two hardest days since my consecration." But he said thought the document was fair.
"I think people came here thinking this was going to be Katrina II," he said. "And what in fact happened was a coming together of the bishops of the church."
However, Episcopal conservatives noted that many priests will still conduct same-gender blessing ceremonies, despite the lack of an official prayer. Critics also said the bishops aren't doing enough to provide alternative leadership for conservative dioceses.
"This is a 'try to keep your foot in the door' maneuvering effort," said Canon Kendall Harmon, a leading conservative from the Diocese of South Carolina.
Conservative Bishop John Howe of the Diocese of Central Florida said the statement wouldn't satisfy all the Anglican leaders. But Howe said "most will find it acceptable." Howe is staying in the Episcopal Church, even though his diocese, based in Orlando, has rejected Jefferts Schori as a leader because she is liberal.
In the document, the bishops reconfirmed a resolution passed last year by the Episcopal General Convention, urging bishops "to exercise restraint" by not consenting to a candidate for bishop "whose manner of life presents a challenge" the church and the communion.
Episcopal leaders also demanded that overseas Anglican leaders stop coming into the U.S. to take oversight of breakaway conservative Episcopal parishes. Anglican leaders from Nigeria, Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda and elsewhere have consecrated bishops to oversee congregations in the United States...."
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