Jonathan Petre reports from Columbus in the Telegraph that Williams appeals for gay compromise as US dioceses plan split:
A number of conservative Anglican dioceses are poised to break-away from the liberal American Church over the issue of homosexuality, The Daily Telegraph has learnt.
In a development that will dismay the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, several American dioceses have held secret discussions about leaving the Episcopal Church and realigning themselves to a sympathetic conservative province.
The Archbishop of York is attending the convention. His appearance caused surprise to some Americans. Ruth Gledhill has a more colourful headline for this.
First, he read a message from Rowan Williams to each house of the convention (the bishops meet entirely separately from everyone else, unlike the English synodical custom) and then he not only attended the hearing on Windsor, but actually spoke to the committee. You can find reports of what he said here and here (second link is text copied from about halfway down here). And here is a conversation Andrew Gerns had with the archbishop.
The discussion of the Windsor resolutions continues on Thursday.
The local Columbus Dispatch had this report.
For comprehensive reporting of the convention see the Episcopal News Service convention website which includes daily video reports and a daily journal in PDF format.
See this page at Anglicans Online for more links to sources, with some explanations.
For blog commentary, see Jim Naughton on Daily Episcopalian as well as Kendall Harmon on titusonenine. Ruth Gledhill is also watching what goes by on the blogs.
13 CommentsAs the General Convention of The Episcopal Church gets underway in Columbus Ohio, Lionel Deimel and Christopher Wells have engaged in a discussion which is available online, starting here. This discussion concerns the proposed resolutions concerning the Windsor Report, starting from the two essays previously listed here on TA, one by Deimel, and the other from ACI.
7 CommentsFirst, Lionel Deimel has published a very substantial article entitled Saving Anglicanism: An Historical Perspective on Decisions Facing the 75th General Convention of the Episcopal Church. This is available in PDF format from this page. See also his earlier analysis of the draft resolutions.
Second, Christopher Wells has written an article, which has been published by the Anglican Communion Institute, entitled Wounded in Common Mission: The Term of Inter-Christian Divisiveness.
Both essays have been welcomed by Mark Harris, the first one here, and the second one in an email which he has kindly allowed me to reproduce below the fold here.
I recommend both articles too.
13 CommentsKendall Harmon has responded to my earlier comment that:
…it is far from clear to me exactly what alternative resolutions would be favoured by those in the AAC and NACDAP who remain fundamentally opposed to the actions of GC2003. I can find no clear statement of an alternative proposal from them.
with a copy of the text linked here, and:
This document can also serve as a response to Simon Sarmiento’s strange assertion that “it is far from clear†to him “exactly what alternative resolutions [to those of the special Commission] would be favoured by those in the AAC and NACDAP who remain fundamentally opposed to the actions of GC2003.†As the Anglican Communion Institute recognizes, that would be resolutions along the broad lines of the one above from January 2005 as well as four of the five 2005 resolutions of the Diocesan Convention of South Carolina.
Will somebody then be filing resolutions to this effect so that they will in due course appear here? It is the absence of any such submission as yet that I find puzzling. Perhaps I don’t understand the GC legislative process.
16 CommentsThe last report on TA about action at General Convention concerning the Windsor Report was here, on 1 May.
Since then, there has been much online discussion about the resolutions in the Special Commission report but it is far from clear to me exactly what alternative resolutions would be favoured by those in the AAC and NACDAP who remain fundamentally opposed to the actions of GC2003. I can find no clear statement of an alternative proposal from them.
Some alternative resolutions have been filed by dioceses:
Diocese of Rochester C004 Response to Windsor Report
Diocese of Alabama C014 Response to Windsor Report
Diocese of Florida C025 Affirmation of Windsor Report
Diocese of Upper South Carolina C037 Affirming Windsor Report
The AAC analysis is here:“Moving Slowly with Caution Isn’t Stoppingâ€
And the NACDAP statement is here: More Than Twenty Bishops Issue Position Statement
The Anglican Communion Institute has issued this: What it will take
But by far the most detailed analysis of the Special Commission resolutions can be found in this document from PEP: “What Should General Convention 2006 Do?†which can be downloaded from this page as a PDF document. This 17 page document is well worth reading even if you don’t agree with its viewpoint.
1 CommentJonathan Petre reports that Williams turns to ‘wise men’ in crisis over gays by which he means:
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has quietly appointed four “wise men” to advise him on the crisis over homosexuals that is threatening to tear the worldwide Anglican Church apart.
They have yet to be named, but are expected to include the liberal Primate of Wales, Archbishop Barry Morgan, and the conservative Primate of Central Africa, Archbishop Bernard Malango.
The group will play a pivotal role following next month’s General Convention of the US Episcopal Church, the American equivalent of the Church of England’s General Synod…
Stephen Bates in the Guardian reports on Anglican relief as California diocese elects straight bishop:
…The election was greeted with some relief in senior church circles but not by the conservative American Anglican Council, which hopes to overturn the Episcopal leadership. A statement said that California remained a “bastion of amorphous Christianity” and criticised all the candidates for not pledging to withhold consent for “same-sex partnered individuals” as bishops.
James Bone in The Times Anglicans avert clash over gays
Meanwhile back in England, Ruth Gledhill reports Church seeks spirituality of youth . . . and doesn’t like what it finds:
THE Church of England has debunked the widely held view that young people are spiritual seekers on a journey to find transcendent truths to fill the “God-shaped hole†within them.
A report published by the Church today indicates that young people are quite happy with a life without God and prefer car boot sales to church…
The book is Making Sense of Generation Y. The Church of England press release is here.
Ruth has also written on her blog about the California election in US election makes schism unlikely.
39 CommentsThere is extensive news coverage this morning of the election by the Diocese of California of a heterosexual male as its diocesan bishop.
The BBC Sunday radio programme has an interview (about 3 minutes duration) with Craig Martin of the diocesan nominating committee.
Go 16 minutes into the recording, available here (Real Audio). (Better link on Monday).
Episcopal News Service California diocese elects Mark Andrus as bishop
Living Church Alabama Suffragan Elected Bishop of California
Reactions came from:
The Network of Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes A Statement by Bishop Duncan on the California Election
The American Anglican Council The American Anglican Council (AAC) Comments on the Episcopal Election in the Diocese of California
Integrity html copy here of PDF original here
The Bishop of Upper South Carolina, Dorsey Henderson and Canon Kendall Harmon, S.C. bishop reacts to California election
Newspaper reports:
New York Times Neela Bannerjee Election of Episcopal Bishop Avoids Inflaming a Crisis
Washington Post John Pomfret Episcopalians Reject Gay Candidates
San Francisco Chronicle Episcopalians avoid rift in picking bishop
San Jose Mercury News Episcopalians avoid schism
Chicago Tribune All Saints keeps its pastor
Los Angeles Times Episcopalians Elect Straight Bishop in S.F.
Update
Here is a eyewitness description of the election by Karen on Kinesis Habemus episcopam!
Updated Saturday evening
There are a total of four episcopal elections in the USA today.
As any results are likely to be published late today, or even from an English viewpoint early tomorrow, I list here the places where the outcomes are most likely to be found.
Eastern Michigan
Background information
Results Election Completed: Ousley elected on 5th ballot.
Tennessee
Background information
Results Election Adjourned after 36 ballots.
Northern California
Background Information
Results Election completed: Beisner elected on 4th ballot.
California
Background Information
Press coverage prior to the election
Results Election completed: Andrus elected on 3rd ballot.
Initial press coverage afterwards:
BBC Bishop vote avoids gay clergy row
Reuters Heterosexual elected Episcopal Bishop of Calif
Corrected Version of Reuters report
AP via Washington Post Calif. Episcopalians Elect New Bishop
And Elizabeth Day in the Sunday Telegraph gets it spectacularly wrong with Anglicans on brink of crisis as California aims for first lesbian bishop
17 CommentsUpdate Saturday morning
The Times carries this article by James Bone Lesbian priest who could split the Anglican Church
Chicago Tribune via CentreDaily.com Lesbian priest may be selected for bishop position Original version: Pastor doesn’t shy from call
Reuters Episcopals consider gays in Calif. bishop election
Washington Post In Bay Area, Diocese May Elect Gay Bishop
Tri-Valley Herald Faithful facing colossal decision
National Public Radio feature on this (3.5 minutes) Listen via this page
San Francisco Examiner Anglicans choosing a bishop and see also the front page headline of the newspaper today (pdf format)
BBC Radio: Today programme interview of David Anderson and Susan Russell (4 minutes)
(hat tip KH for several of these links)
Update Friday
The New York Times has this on the eve of the election Episcopalians Divide Again Over Electing Gay Bishop
There are several news reports about this election for the Diocese of California, which takes place next Saturday.
The election site with all the official information is here.
San Mateo County Times Bishop hopefuls aim for diversity
AP via San Jose Mercury News California Episcopalians consider electing gay bishop
San Franciso Chronicle Gay issue at forefront of Episcopal bishop vote
Marin Independent Journal Episcopal churches brace for election of bishop
Los Angeles Times Church Braces for Possible Election of Gay Bishop
Christian Science Monitor Episcopalians face key votes over gays
11 CommentsEarlier reaction from within ECUSA and in the press to the Special Commission report (issued on 7 April) was recorded here and also here.
Some further items have appeared. This is not a complete list, so please propose additions that I may have overlooked.
First, from the Anglican Communion Institute I want to link to two earlier articles that although not directly in response to the commission’s report, do have some relevance:
If there is a future for ECUSA and the Anglican Communion, then what? by Ephraim Radner dated 2 April
An open letter from the ACI to General Convention members, dated 4 April.
(More recently, Dr Radner wrote a personal note entitled Why I am Still a Member of the Anglican Communion Network and there is also this footnote.)
Next, a further article by Michael Watson Are the SCECAC resolutions intended to authorize private blessings?
David Simmons wrote this analysis and Sarah Dylan Breuer wrote this response to him.
The anthills blog contains several posts about the report. They include:
ARCHBISHOP ROWAN, PLEASE SPEAK UP NOW
LISTEN TO INSIDER MARK HARRIS.
Mark Harris’s four part commentary on the Windsor Report is here: one, two, three, and four.
Update part 5 added.
Fr Jake proposed some Amendments to the Special Commission’s Proposed Resolutions.
Integrity published its response as a PDF file, but AAC has republished it as html here.
23 CommentsThe press column in the Church Times last week discussed the New Yorker article. The best reason though for linking to what Andrew Brown said about it is because that way I can show you the cartoon that illustrated the original article.
24 CommentsThe Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church USA, Frank Griswold gave the Guardian an interview in London: US church leader edges away from gay bishops confrontation. The interview was with Stephen Bates. Lead para:
22 CommentsThe leader of the US Episcopal church, which is in danger of being expelled from the worldwide Anglican communion for its election of an openly homosexual bishop, has warned parishioners of the diocese of California that they would widen the confrontation it they chose another gay bishop.
The article by Peter J Boyer with this title in The New Yorker magazine, which was mentioned previously is now online at the magazine’s website.
You can read the full text of it here. Only the cartoon is missing.
Hat tip to Jim Naughton for this. His earlier comments are here and here.
A negative view of this article can be found at the blog of John Zahl.
A rather different take on the article is on Political Spaghetti.
titusonenine comments are here.
25 CommentsUpdated Wednesday
The American Anglican Council has issued a press release, which contains a fairly detailed commentary on One Baptism, One Hope in God’s Call.
Earlier responses to this document were linked here. Note in particular the analysis of Ephraim Radner which is rather more constructive in its approach.
Update
Archbishop Drexel Gomez has expressed some views too, as reported by the Bahama Journal in Fears Of Anglican Split Persist.
The church newspapers publish a day early this week, because of Good Friday. So today we have:
Church Times ECUSA commission backtracks on gays and the resolutions are republished here.
Church of England Newspaper ECUSA to slow liberal agenda by George Conger.
12 CommentsLEAC has launched a petition to bring presentment charges against Bishop Robinson and his consecrators.
You can read their press release about this at PRELATES WHO INSTALLED GAY BISHOP FACE PETITION TO INDICT UNDER CHURCH LAW and the petition itself is a PDF file available here.
34 CommentsThe New Yorker magazine this week has an article by Peter J Boyer entitled A Church Asunder The Episcopal tradition confronts a revolt. This article is not (so far) available online, but a related interview is:
33 CommentsFaith Matters
Issue of 2006-04-17
Posted 2006-04-10
This week in the magazine, Peter J. Boyer writes about how the election of a gay bishop has divided the Episcopal Church. Here, with Matt Dellinger, Boyer discusses the controversy and the changing face of religion in America.
This morning’s BBC radio programme Sunday interviewed the Bishop of Arizona, Kirk Smith, and also Stephen Bates of the Guardian.
You can hear the interview by opening this Real audio file, and going forward about 21.5 minutes. The segment lasts about 9 minutes. A better URL will be posted by the BBC on Monday.
Update the better URL is now here.
Reference is made in the second interview to one particular “unsubstantiated rumour” on titusonenine regarding actions that might happen at General Convention. I do think this kind of speculation should be treated with severe caution at this stage. However, this report from Fort Worth does also mention future consecrations by Archbishop Akinola in the USA. And there is this report.
32 CommentsUpdated twice Monday 10 April
Ephraim Radner has a detailed analysis of the report on the ACI site.
Michael Watson has an analysis of the resolutions wording.
The Guardian has US church offers olive branch to Anglicans on gay clergy by Stephen Bates
The Witness has published A Personal Reflection on the Special Commission’s Report by Sarah Dylan Breuer
This report was issued too late on Friday for Saturday’s British newspapers.
Associated Press Rachel Zoll Episcopal Panel: Use Caution in Elections
Reuters Michael Conlon Episcopal Church gets a caution flag on gays
Religion News Service Episcopal Panel Advises Caution on Gay Bishops
The Living Church Windsor Report Resolutions Released
Somewhat surprisingly, neither the American Anglican Council nor the Anglican Communion Network has yet issued any press release. Other press releases have come from Integrity and from Oasis California.
Blog comments have come from Fr Jake and Mark Harris and Blog of Daniel.
British church press coverage, written prior to the release of the report:
Church Times Douglas LeBlanc ECUSA shows signs of bowing to pressure on gays
Church of England Newspaper George Conger Over half of US bishops regret gay consecration Note: this headline and the first paragraph of the report are somewhat misleading, as regular TA readers already know, nevertheless the report is referenced by Reuters at the end of the story linked above.
11 CommentsThe awaited ECUSA report on Windsor has been published. You can download One Baptism, One Hope in God’s Call The Report of the Special Commission on the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion as a 444k pdf file.
This, and other papers for General Convention 2006 can be downloaded from this page.
The official press release is here.
An html copy of the wording of the resolutions (only) is here.
PDF files containing preliminary translations into Spanish and French of the summary, and the resolutions can be found here.
10 Comments