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Episcopalians Rap Church on Gay Bishop

Posted on: Saturday, 27 September 2003, 06:00 CDT

The Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh accused the national church Saturday of exceeding its authority and violating its own constitution by confirming its first openly gay bishop and approving the blessing of same-sex unions.

"These acts are to be held null and void, and of no effect, in the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh," read a resolution overwhelmingly approved by delegates in the western Pennsylvania diocese. The vote tally was not immediately released.

Two other dioceses, Jacksonville, Fla., and Fort Worth, Texas, were also considering resolutions Saturday as part of a national drive among conservative dioceses and clergy seeking to distance themselves from the Episcopal Church for its decisions last month on the gay bishop and same-sex unions.

They believe both go against the Anglican Communion. The national denomination of the Episcopal Church, with 2.3 million members, is the U.S. branch of the worldwide, 77-million-member communion.

Other proposals before the 20,000-member Pittsburgh Diocese on Saturday would ask worldwide Anglican leaders to intervene and to allow the diocese to withhold funds from the national denomination. Another would declare that all congregations own their properties, flatly denying the national church's ownership claim under a 1979 church law.

The discontent was fueled by an Aug. 5 vote of the national church's General Convention to confirm as bishop the Rev. V. Gene Robinson, who has lived with a male partner for more than 13 years. New Hampshire clergy and lay Episcopalians had earlier elected Robinson to be their next bishop.

During the same meeting in Minneapolis, Minn., General Convention delegates also voted to let dioceses continue to decide on their own whether to perform same-sex blessing ceremonies.

Some Episcopalians argue that the wording of the same-sex blessing ceremony measure says the ceremonies are consistent with church teaching.

In a letter last month to U.S. clergy and fellow Anglican leaders around the world, Bishop Frank Griswold, the head of the Episcopal Church, supported the decision to confirm Robinson and said a "blessing" can come from the controversy.

Many conservatives in the church see no such blessing.

A week ago, the Diocese of Central Florida voted to repudiate the General Convention's vote on Robinson and same-sex blessing ceremonies and asked world Anglican leaders to intervene.

The Diocese of Albany, N.Y., also rejected the decision on Robinson and same-sex blessings and asked Anglican leaders to decide whether the national convention votes "exceeded the limits of Anglican diversity."

A handful of other dioceses have planned special meetings in response to the General Convention in the weeks ahead. Some dioceses and parishes have already decided for now to withhold payments that would have gone to national church headquarters.

Episcopalians who oppose Robinson's confirmation will gather Oct. 7-9 in Dallas, at a meeting organized by the conservative American Anglican Council, to decide their collective response.

Some Anglican leaders overseas say they are also considering severing ties with the Episcopal Church over its decision to approve Robinson.

Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, the spiritual head of the Anglican Communion, has called world Anglican leaders to an unprecedented meeting Oct. 15-16 in London to discuss fallout from the decision.

U.S. conservatives say they want Williams to authorize a separate Anglican province for them in North America.

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On the Net:

http://www.pgh.anglican.org

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