Live from Columbus - June 19, 2006
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Volume 2, No. 9
Today's audio: The Rev. David Read discusses
actions of the House of Deputies on the Windsor Report resolutions.
He has also been providing a daily General Convention updated posted
to the St. Helena's, Boerne website.
Link to St. Helena's, Boerne General Convention webpage
Link to Legislations pages of General Convention 2006 - Here you
will find the status of all resolutions considered at General
Convention.
Windsor resolutions begin to come forward
 After
days of frustration in both the House of Deputies and House of
Bishops over resolutions that address the Windsor Report still being
in committee, deputies got the first of four significant resolutions
dealing with the Windsor Report on Monday afternoon. Resolution
A160, which asks the Episcopal Church to "express its regret" for
straining the bonds of affection in the events of the 2003 General
Convention, offer
"its sincerest apology" to those who were offended, and "ask
forgiveness" as we seek to live into deeper levels of communion.
The resolution passed the House of Deputies by
a vote of 563 to 267.
Only one amendment was offered: the resolution
that came to deputies expressed regret for "breaching the proper
constraints of" the bonds of affection; the phrase was changed to
"strained" the bonds of affection.
The Rev. Francis Wade, chair of The Special
Committee on the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion, told
deputies as he introduced the resolutions that their purpose was to
"continue the conversation" between the Episcopal Church and the
rest of the Communion. "No one is being asked to stop being
different or stop believing differently; the question is: 'How will
live together?' "
He said that the words in the resolutions "do
not reflect the view of any group or subset of our Church." He also
said that the Committee, which has been working on the wording of
the resolutions literally day and night for several days, had
engaged "not in a political process but in a process of listening
and discerning" especially to the voices they had heard in their
several hearings over the past week. The largest of the hearings
drew more than 1,200 people, of whom about 70 testified, last
Wednesday evening.
Nevertheless, deputies lined up at microphones
to be heard even further during the hour-and-a-half debate before
the vote on the resolution.
The Rev. David Read of the West Texas
deputation was among those who urged the House to adopt A160 and the
other Windsor resolutions "without amendment and without omission."
Read added, "If we water down" the resolutions "we will say to our
sisters and brothers in the Anglican Communion that we are not
listening and we have no need of them."
The Rev. Kendall Harmon of the Diocese of South
Carolina said that A160 was "the first step in the process of
reconciliation." But, he added, "Let's only take this step if we
mean it. Expressing regret is only meaningful if the fruits are
evident."
The Rev. Sharon Lewis of the Diocese of
Southwest Florida said that the resolution "calls for us to lay
aside our agenda and have that radical hospitality that has been
spoken of."
But those who did not support adoption of the
resolution said the Episcopal Church should not apologize for its
actions. "This compromises our freedom to act as we have discerned
the Holy Spirit and as an autonomous church body," said the Rev.
Joan Beilstein of the Diocese of Washington. The Rev. LeeAnne
Watkins of the Diocese of Minnesota challenged the notion "that we
have actually broken the bonds of affection."
"Bonds should be supple and stretchy," she
said. "I reject the notion that there is some monolithic communion
shaking their fingers at us."
The Very Rev. Jorge Gutierrez of the Diocese of
Rochester spoke for many when he said that it would be "dishonest"
of him to express regret for actions "that brought a long-awaited
sense of comfort to my gay and lesbian brothers and sisters."
The resolution now goes to the House of Bishops
for its action, probably on Tuesday.
Late in the afternoon on Monday, the House of
Deputies began to debate resolution A161 that calls the Episcopal
Church to a moratorium on electing bishops "whose manner of life
presents a challenge to the wider church," and asks the General
Convention not to adopt rites for the blessing of same-sex unions.
Debate will continue Tuesday morning with a
vote likely before the lunch break.
The full text of resolution A160 as amended and passed reads:
Resolved,
the House of Bishops concurring, that the 75th
General Convention of The Episcopal Church, mindful of "the
repentance, forgiveness, and reconciliation enjoined on us by
Christ" (Windsor Report, paragraph 134), express its regret for
straining the bonds of affection in the events surrounding the
General Convention of 2003 and the consequences which followed;
offer its sincerest apology to those within our Anglican
Communion who are offended by our failure to accord sufficient
importance to the impact of our actions on our church and other
parts of the Communion; and ask forgiveness as we seek to live
into deeper levels of communion one with another.
Archbishop - 'Prayers' for new Presiding
Bishop
 Monday
19th June 2006
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, has issued a
statement on the election of the Rt. Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori
as the next Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church of the United
States of America, in succession to the Most Rev. Frank Griswold.
(The full text of Williams' statement follows.)
"I send my greetings to Bishop Katharine and she has my
prayers and good wishes as she takes up a deeply demanding
position at a critical time. She will bring many intellectual
and pastoral gifts to her new work, and I am pleased to see the
strength of her commitment to mission and to the Millennium
Development Goals.
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.
We are continuing to pray for the General Convention of
the Episcopal Church as it confronts a series of exceptionally
difficult choices."
Follow this Link to the prayer on the Archbishop of Canterbury
website.
Anglican leaders reflect favorably on Jefferts Schori election
Sunday, June 18, 2006
 [Episcopal
News Service] Anglican leaders who are guests at the General
Convention spoke favorably about the June 18 election of Bishop
Katharine Jefferts Schori as the 26th Presiding Bishop, noting the
important role of women in the church today.
Bishop Trevor Mwamba of Botswana in Central Africa said that God is
a God of surprises. "She is a servant of God and we thank God for
what she has to contribute to the life of the Anglican Communion,"
he said. "This is a great year for women and we honor the role that
women are playing in the world today."
The Rev. Canon Kenneth Kearon, secretary general of the Anglican
Communion, as well as three Anglican primates, said they look
forward to welcoming Jefferts Schori to future Primates meetings.
Archbishop Andrew Hutchison, Primate of the Anglican Church of
Canada, said that it is a wonderful day in the life of the Anglican
Communion. "I have enormous respect for her and her competence," he
said, "and this will change the dynamics among the boys' club of
primates in the Anglican Communion significantly."
Hutchison acknowledged that the election will be a challenge in some
parts of the world "because some countries have gender-specific
expectations," he said. "Leadership in some traditional societies is
very much in the hands of males and therefore presents a challenge."
Bishop Martin Barahona of El Salvador, Primate of the Anglican
Church of the Central America, said that he is not surprised with
the result because the work of women in the Episcopal Church is very
strong. "In the Anglican Communion it will be a big challenge but
women have the capacity to lead the church today," he said.
The Most Rev. Carlos Touche-Porter, Primate of Mexico, said he is
"thrilled" and eager to welcome her as a fellow primate in the
Anglican Communion. "We need to go back to the Anglican spirit of
respectful diversity as a source of enrichment and not division," he
said.
Asked about the impact this may have on the Anglican Communion,
Kearon said the role of women in the church is being addressed by
each province; thus, they would not want to deny the importance of
the role of women in the church. "Some of them express it by having
women in the priesthood and in the episcopate. Other churches are
looking at it and others have made firm decisions against it," he
said. "That doesn't alter the fact that women are important members
of the Anglican Communion."
Thirty years ago, the General Convention voted to admit women into
the priesthood and the episcopate. Fourteen of the 38 Anglican
provinces make provisions for women in the episcopate. At present,
there are 13 active and retired women bishops and bishops-elect in
the Episcopal Church and three in the Anglican Church of Canada. The
Anglican Church of Aotearoa, Polynesia and New Zealand, has one
retired woman bishop.
The Church of England voted last year to remove the legal obstacles
that stop women from becoming bishops over the coming years. Further
debate is expected at the General Synod of the Church when it meets
July 7-11, in York, England.
The Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) adopted a resolution at its
June 2005 meeting, acknowledging the Millennium Development Goal for
equal representation of women in decision making at all levels. It
requested the ACC Standing Committee "to identify ways in which this
goal may appropriately be adapted for incorporation into the
structures of the Instruments of Unity, and other bodies to which
the Anglican Consultative Council nominates or appoints."
--The Episcopal News Service
General Convention affirms Millennium Development Goals
[Episcopal
News Service] The House of Deputies joined the House of Bishops June
18 in supporting the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
and urging parishes, missions, congregations and dioceses across the
Episcopal Church to work for their implementation.
The MDGs are an eight-pronged declaration that has at its core
the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger by the year 2015.
In what has become a major mission and evangelism emphasis of
this General Convention, the MDG resolution (D022):
Establishes achieving the MDGs as a stated mission priority of
the Episcopal Church for the next three years;
Urges each diocese, congregation and parishioner to give 0.7 percent
toward the MDGs by July 7, 2007; i.e. by 07/07/07;
- Designates the Last Sunday after Pentecost as a special day
of prayer, fasting and giving in the Episcopal Church toward
global reconciliation and the Millennium Development Goals;
- Calls on every diocese to establish a global reconciliation
commission to mobilize Episcopalians to work for achieving the
goals of the MDGs;
- Endorses the "ONE Episcopalian" campaign that calls on the
U.S. government to spend an additional 1 percent of its budget
to combat global poverty; and
- Asks the budget committee of the Episcopal Church to
consider a line item equal to 0.7 percent (or roughly $900,000)
in the coming three-year budget for work that supports the MDGs.
In earlier debate, the General Convention added the MDGs to its
top mission budget priorities of justice and peace.
The Millennium Development Goals are:
1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
2. Achieve universal primary education
3. Promote gender equality and empower women
4. Reduce child mortality
5. Improve maternal health
6. Combat HIV and AIDS, malaria and other diseases
7. Ensure environmental sustainability
8. Create a global partnership for development with a focus on debt,
aid and trade
In a companion resolution (A010), deputies concurred with the
bishops in affirming "Call to Partnership," a communiqué to the
United Nations from an ecumenical group of Christian bodies that
make up the Consultation of Religious Leaders on Global Poverty.
-- Melodie Woerman is director of communications for
the Diocese of Kansas.
Follow this link to the UN Millennium Development Goals webpage.
Title IV may stop its
trip through Convention
[Episcopal
News Service] The Legislative Committee on Canons will recommend
that the proposed revisions to the Title IV disciplinary canon be
referred to a task force to "complete and perfect this vital work"
for consideration at the 2009 General Convention.
The proposal to revise the canon came from a task force created
by General Convention in 2003. The resolution would have replaced
the current court-oriented system with a multi-layered approach
intended to focus on mediation and reconciliation. It also included
a controversial provision that would subject certain lay leaders to
the new canons. After hearing significant concern about the
proposal, particularly about subjecting laity to ecclesiastical
discipline, the legislative committee attempted to rewrite the
30-page resolution to clarify issues. However, it quickly became
apparent to committee members the revision could not be accomplished
in time for this convention to act. The current referral
resolution makes note of the change in philosophy sought by the
current task force, which is to move away from an adversarial model
to one that encourages pastoral intervention as early as possible in
the process. It charges a new task force to continue the work with a
set of "critical goals, concerns and values" which will:
- reflect of the values and theology and ecclesiology of the
church;
- move Title IV toward a reconciliation model for all
appropriate circumstances;
- encourage the prompt resolution of conflicts in the Church,
and the reconciliation of all persons involved in those
conflicts, at the earliest appropriate and the most conducive
level of the Church;
- consider the possible inclusion of certain lay persons in
Title IV where their office or other leadership role makes
inclusion appropriate, provided the treatment of their
accountability and discipline is commensurate with their lay
status, responsibility and commitments;
- maintain the historic canonical pastoral role and authority
of bishops; and
- respect the roles, rights and integrity of those subject to
the title; and of injured persons, parishes, missions and
congregations and the church.
-- Jim DeLa is director of communications for the Diocese of
Southwest Florida.
On these long days (House of Deputies recessed at 7:30 pm EST
Monday evening) at General Convention it is comforting to know that
our brothers and sisters are holding us in prayer. Below are
parishioners from St. George, San Antonio, one of many
churches praying for the West Texas deputation and the 75th General
Convention.
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