Updated Saturday morning
The Diocese of Central Florida has joined the list of American dioceses requesting “immediate alternative primatial oversight”.
See General Convention 2006:An open letter to the people and clergy of Central Florida.
In connection with this kind of thing, Jim Naughton had a note yesterday which he labelled Individuals, groups and the nature of membership.
And Fr Jake has some background on Bishop John Howe here.
Another news story, from the Orlando Sentinel Mark Pinsky Talk of split upsets some Episcopalians.
Updated
The Diocese of Springfield has also joined this list. See this report in the Living Church. There is also a pastoral letter from the bishop, which has very very stupidly been published as a 2.3 Mbyte PDF file. You have been warned.
Update Global South Anglican has published an html copy. (Thanks guys)
Although usually a gift cannot be reclaimed just because the recipient does something the giver does not like, if it was given for a purpose which was specified in writing it cannot usually be used for another. Sometimes bequests even specify that if the land or such is no longer used for the original purpose it must revert to other heirs. All this is likely to make for hefty legal fees and bad publicity.
Thump. Another domino falls. And yet, as someone observed, the falling of certain dominoes is rather expected, and perhaps not worthy of a great deal of additional angst given the overall situation. But what is the overall situation? I recently read a statement, apparently hallowed by time (although I am no guarantor of its antiquity) about the way things work in the Anglican Communion: The Americans pay, the Africans pray, and the English write the resolutions. The more I see of what the ABC is doing the more I wonder. It seems to me that, as much as anything, everything… Read more »
As I watch all of this, I wonder when it will shift from a spiritual debate to a legal one. As an Episcopalian I am grieved at the divide within my Church and the wider Anglican Communion. But, I am also becoming frustrated and am beginning to think more legalistically. As Dioceses seek alternative supervision, I am wondering how that can be accomplished. Like all dioceses in the ECUSA, The Dioceses of Central Florida, Fort Worth et al, were created by the General Convention; They exist because of the ECUSA and are a part of the ECUSA – whether the… Read more »
Fr. Jake’s blog has a long and detailed entry on Bishop John Howe of Central Florida at:
http://frjakestopstheworld.blogspot.com/2006/06/who-is-bishop-john-howe.html
Bp. Howe has a long and “colorful” history with the IRD, Pat Robertson, James Dobson’s Focus on the Family group, and the extreme right-wing Truro Church* of the Diocese of Virginia.
* yes, the same church which is now home to the newly minted, “Nigerian” Bishop Martyn Minns of CANA.
Steven wrote “The Americans pay, the Africans pray, and the English write the resolutions.” Given how quickly the ABC could respond to B033, the longer he takes at responding to Nigeria, the less inclined we will be to pay. It is good think that Nigeria has oil, it may curse them with corruption, but at least some cash is coming in. In the future Africa may have to both pray and pay.
Absolutely. Its about time that Africa stopped holding out the begging bowl – let them run their fundamentalist jamboree themselves ( and maybe they could start running their economies efficiently as well rather than blaming the Wicked West for their own failings)
‘In the future Africa may have to both pray and pay.’
That is exactly how it should be. Dependency and client relationships are not healthy.