News Briefs
news from around the communion and around the world
ECUSA Executive Council Voices Concerns about marriage, General Convention 2006
Concerns about the effects of Ohio's new Defense of Marriage Act on plans to hold the next General Convention in Columbus, and a new churchwide conversation on marriage were brought by the National Concerns committee to the Episcopal Church's Executive Council at its meeting in Burlington, Vermont in June.
In response to Ohio's recently enacted Defense
of Marriage Act and a proposed amendment to the Ohio State Constitution, which would deny rights and benefits to domestic partners, the council resolved to send a letter of objection to Governor Bob Taft of Ohio, the mayors and directors of the visitor and convention bureaus of Columbus, Cincinnati and Cleveland, and to the media. General Convention is scheduled to be held at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in 2006.
The letter states the position of the Episcopal
Church as expressed by its General Convention, emphasizing that "domestic partner rights are basic human rights."
The council noted that the Act and proposed
amendment "go well beyond banning same-sex marriages" and "may prohibit rights for domestic partners being granted by the state and its municipalities, counties, universities, and school districts." The law and amendment may also "prohibit Ohio courts from interpreting and/or enforcing domestic partnership benefits granted by private employers."
Recognizing that the church's current discus
sion of marriage is often "ill informed and polemical," the council initiated a process that would lead to "a
churchwide national conversation on the subject." Some of the key points for discussion would include the theological basis of marriage; the history of marriage as an institution; economics; relations between the church and the state; the societal purposes of marriage; its characteristics; and the dissolution of marriage.
The council is urging dioceses to hold such conversations on marriage and has asked the Joint Committee on Planning and Arrangements to schedule a "Conversation on Marriage" during the 75th General Convention in 2006. "The ultimate objective," the council explained, "would be to strengthen the institution of marriage on the basis of such a discussion."
The Rev. Fred Vergara, newly appointed
missioner for Asia/America Ministries, added the comment that, despite opposition to the actions of General Convention among Anglicans in Asia, many also feel that the issue is one for the Episcopal church and not the entire Communion. "It is good," he said, "to perceive the context in which a community practices its ministry."
Archdeacon Helena-Rose Houldcroft of the
Diocese of Qu'Appelle, an observer from the Anglican Church of Canada, also noted to the council that the Episcopal Church is deeply involved in much more than just a single issue, both locally and in the world. "Here is a church that is divided on homosexuality, but of one mind when dealing with issues of justice," she commented.
EDS Celebrates the 'Life and Courage' of Bishop Robert DeWitt
On May 15, 2004, the Episcopal Divinity School celebrated the life and courage of the Rt. Rev. Robert L. (Bob) DeWitt, former bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania, who died on November 29, 2003.
Known for his outspoken advocacy and action for civil and women's rights, Bishop DeWitt is remembered for his key role in the ordination of the "Philadelphia 11," the first women in the Episcopal Church to be ordained to the priesthood in the United States.
The celebration included many of the women
ordained priests by Bishop DeWitt in the "irregular" ordination of 1974 including: Merrill Bitner, Alla Renee Bozarth, Alison Cheek, Emily Hewitt, Carter Heyward, Marie Moorefield, Betty Schiess, Katrina Swanson, and Nancy Wittig along with those ordained "irregularly" in 1975: Lee McGee, Alison Palmer, and Betty Powell. At the 1999 celebration commemorating the ordination of the "Philadelphia 11," referring to the ordinations,
DeWitt had once said: "It is ironic that what happened 25 years ago here at the Advocate was for a time seen more as an issue of three misbehaving bishops than as a breakthrough created by 11 pioneering women. Make no mistake; the event was a creative action of, by, and for women. The bishops were only accessories."
"EDS is honored to host this celebration of the
life and courage of Bishop DeWitt," said the Rt. Rev. Steven Charleston, president and dean of Episcopal Divinity School. "An alumnus of the School, Bishop DeWitt embodied EDS' mission of advancing God's mission of justice, compassion, and reconciliation."
A scholarship fund has been established at EDS
in Bishop DeWitt's name; donations in memory of Bishop DeWitt may be sent to: The Bishop Robert L. DeWitt Memorial Scholarship Fund, c/o Episcopal Divinity School, 99 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA 02138.
U.S. Senate Passes Hate Crimes Legislation
In a surprise 65-33 vote, the U.S. Senate passed legislation in June that would extend the Federal hate crimes law to include hate crimes based on actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender, and disability, according to the Episcopal Church Office of Government Relations. The law currently covers race, religion, and national origin.
Senator John W. Warner of Virginia, an Episcopalian who is chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, voted in favor of passage.
While violent crime continues to decrease nationally, the FBI Uniform Crime Reports show hate crimes increasing.
"Passage of this legislation will help protect the
lives of people in our communities," said the Rt. Rev. Neff Powell, Bishop of Southwestern Virginia. "I've been concerned about hate crimes in our country since the death of Matthew Shepard and have had a heightened awareness in the wake of violence in my own community of Roanoke, Virginia."
The bill has been the subject of a number of
Episcopal Public Policy Network alerts since passage of General Convention resolutions in 2000, also in the wake of the tragic death of Wyoming youth Matthew Shepard. In May of 2002, more than 200 Episcopal clergy and 21 bishops sent a letter urging members of Congress to pass hate crimes legislation.
According to the Office of Government Relations, the next hurdle for proponents of the legislation is to ensure that it survives a conference between the House and Senate later this year. Swift bi-partisan passage of the bill may have occurred because the Senate GOP leadership is planning a vote on the controversial Federal Marriage Amendment sometime in July.
Los Angeles Bishop Blesses Same-Sex Union
Los Angeles bishop J. Jon Bruno has recently blessed the union of Malcolm Boyd and his partner of 20 years, author and counselor Mark Thompson. Bruno's blessing is thought to be the first time a sitting bishop has presided at such a ceremony since General Convention 2003, meeting in August in Minneapolis, acknowledged such blessings to be a part of the life of the Episcopal church.
Evangelical Parishes Threaten Church of England with 'Financial Ruin'
Evangelical Anglican churches are threatening the Church of England with financial ruin in protest at the appointment of Canon Jeffrey John, a homosexual, as the Dean of St Alban's Cathedral.
Several parish churches in the Diocese of St
Alban's are planning to cap their financial quota contributions after Dr John's elevation.
Their move could leave the diocese several
thousand pounds out of pocket, as it relies on the "parish share" to provide more than £7 million annually to pay for stipends, pensions and some administrative costs.
Each parish is given a "quota" that it is expected to pay to the diocese every year, depending on the number of its parishioners. If it raises more money than its allotted quota, this too goes to the diocese - and it is this contribution that the evangelical churches are threatening to cap.
Parishes in the diocese of St Alban's currently
donate about £30,000 a year each on average. The Rev. Charles Dobbie, the vicar of Holy Trinity Church in Lyonsdown, New Barnet, north London, said that he was "shocked and grieved" by Dr John's appointment and felt that he could not "in conscience" pay the full annual quota "if it's going to be used in the furtherance of this kind of agenda."
"We will certainly be considering every option,
including the review of payment of our quota."
Although he declined to discuss the percentages involved, he said that his actions would reflect the "shock, sadness and incredulity" of his congregation.
Roman Catholics Denied Communion in Chicago, Blocked at the Altar in Minnesota
Parishioners who wore rainbow-colored sashes to Mass in support of gays and lesbians were denied communion in Chicago, while laymen in Minnesota tried to prevent gay Roman Catholics from receiving the sacrament.
Priests at Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago
refused to give the Eucharist to about 10 people wearing the sashes at Sunday Mass. One priest shook each person's hand; another made the sign of the cross on their foreheads.
"The priest told me you cannot receive communion if you're wearing a sash, as per the Cardinal's direction," said James Luxton, a Chicago member of the Rainbow Sash Movement, an advocacy organization for Catholic gay rights.
An internal memo from Chicago Cardinal
Francis George that became public last week instructed
priests not to give communion to people wearing the sashes, which the group's members wear every year for Pentecost. The memo says the sashes are a symbol of opposition to the church's doctrine on homosexuality and exploit the communion ritual.
In St. Paul, people wearing the rainbow-colored sashes were given communion Sunday despite protests from some parishioners who knelt in front of the altar blocking their way.
Brian McNeill, organizer of the Rainbow Sash
Alliance of the Twin Cities, said the local group has worn the rainbow sashes every Pentecost since 2001, but the group had never experienced such a confrontation. A Vatican doctrinal decree directed at politicians last year, stated that a "well-formed" conscience forbids support for laws contradicting "fundamental morality."
House Leadership Forced to Pull Arctic Bill
Proponents of drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge were said to be stunned today as the House Leadership was forced to pull legislation authorizing oil and gas exploration in the Arctic, according to the Episcopal Church Office of Government Relations in Washington. Debate was about to begin on H.R. 4529: Arctic Coastal Plain Domestic Energy Security and Abandoned Mine Lands Reclamation Reform Act (which includes the coastal plain of Alaska) when the House abruptly recessed. Fearing the vote would fail, leadership aides indicated that it was unlikely the House would have time to bring it back to the floor for a week or more.
The Episcopal Church strongly opposes drilling in the Arctic Coastal Plain, land sacred to the Gwich'in, a native people of Alaska. Reliant for centuries on what is now the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the Gwich'in are ninety percent Episcopalian--a special obligation for the Church in advocating on behalf of their sacred spaces. The Arctic was the subject of an Episcopal Public Policy Network (EPPN) alert to encourage Episcopalians to write, fax or call their House
members of Congress before the vote.The U.S. Senate has defeated legislation to open the Arctic for oil and gas exploration twice in the past two years.
Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold and Mark
L. MacDonald, Bishop of Alaska had issued a joint statement June 15 regarding the pending vote.
Drilling in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge would ruin
a pristine wildlife sanctuary for less oil than the U.S. uses in six months. According to the Department of Energy, drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge will do nothing to lower gas prices; potential oil from the Arctic would take an estimated 10 years to reach the market.
In a separate effort led by Theodore Roosevelt, IV, grandson of the former President, and Americans for Alaska, a number of Episcopalians joined a broad coalition of Americans who support protection of the Arctic Refuge. Griswold and MacDonald were among the signers that included Bishop Robert R. Shahan of Arizona and President and Dean of Episcopal Divinity School, Bishop Steven Charleston.
AAC Vows No Retreat from Principles What, Never? Well, Hardly Ever
"The issues have been with us for some significant time," said the Rev. David Anderson, president of the American Anglican Council, speaking to a gathering of approximately 200 persons in the Diocese of Michigan. He compared the AAC to "an army in the field [which] is worrisome for some bishops but great hope for many parishes and parishioners."
"There will be no retreat from the call for
realignment,"Anderson said. He added that "We were very well organized for Minneapolis but we did not win. We lost on the two key issues," referring to the consent of the election of Robinson and Resolution C-051. He explained that it is too expensive and the prospects for success too unlikely to mount an effort to reverse the actions of the Episcopal Church.
"To go back and rework those same processes,"
he said, would not be productive. "It is more important to build the infrastructure and the connections to the international communion where our theological home is found."
Yet, even as Anderson appealed for Midwestern support of the orthodox movement that he insisted would abide no retreat from realignment, he described how that same movement avoided a dire conundrum at its very founding last October in Plano, Texas.
Following the critical General Convention last
August, the AAC held a meeting in that city to begin laying the foundation for a realigned church, but Anderson admitted at the Michigan conference that the whole movement "almost came undone" over the question of women in leadership roles. He explained that the two sides--those opposing ordination of women and others in favor of it--were at a standoff.
"We have to assure both those who do ordain
and those who don't, there's a place for them in the emerging church. How are we going to do that? It isn't going to be easy," Anderson said. "At Plano, [we experienced] a wonderful coming together in a live and let live [attitude]. But both sides must give the other side the space to exist.
"We will need God's grace to see if it works
out. But I believe it can," he said.