An ecclesiastical court has determined that Diocese of Pennsylvania Bishop Charles E. Bennison should be deposed from the ordained ministry in the Episcopal Church.
ENS has a full report by Mary Frances Schjonberg at Court for the Trial of a Bishop calls for Bennison’s deposition with various links to documents.
The Living Church has a report by Doug LeBlanc at Church Court Rules for Deposition of Bishop Bennison.
The Associated Press reported it, see Pennsylvania Episcopal bishop ousted in cover-up.
The Philadelphia Inquirer has Episcopal court rules to defrock Pa. bishop.
No comments on this yet? Liberals tend not to see themselves as victims of some overarching plot to silence them in the Church, so might not see any reason to comment. It’s the “visionaries heroically proclaiming a new society of justice and peace” aspect of the early Church that is so attractive to them, not the “persecuted faithful ready to die for God’s Truth” aspect so beloved of conservatives, for whom the former attitude is, at best, unimportant. Conservatives? No gloating? I wonder if it would do too much damage to the myth of the poor persecuted Faithful remnant to… Read more »
Even though I’m in the Pennsylvania diocese (and a parish rep to the upcoming convention), I’ve avoided commenting for a number of reasons. Most importantly, I’m conflicted. I believe Bishop Bennison was incredibly wrong in covering for his brother’s indiscretions. OTOH, they were his brother’s wrongdoings, not his. On another level, I firmly believe this would never have become such a big issue if Bennison’s opposition on the Standing Committee (who are largely opposed to some of his financial dealings not his liberality on theology and social concerns) were not looking for something to to use as a means to… Read more »
“Most importantly, I’m conflicted.” I would imagine you are. So would I be. My cynical point was that, for some odd reason, no conservative has commented on the disciplining of an Evil Hell Bound Liberal who has been something of a demon in their eyes. I would have expected a massive outpouring of gloating, it’s human nature, after all, we all do it, and get into lovely slinging matches because of it. But, nothing. I suspect, as I said, that to acknowledge that TEC actually does discipline liberals who cross the line would make their myth of being persecuted more… Read more »