NEW ORLEANS: Orthodox Episcopal Bishops Bail on HOB Meeting

By David W. Virtue in New Orleans
www.virtueonline.org
9/21/2007

A number of orthodox Episcopal bishops are bailing out of the HOB meeting here when Dr. Rowan Williams leaves today.

"We came out of respect for Dr. Williams" two orthodox bishops told VOL. "It is clear to us, however, that there will be no change of direction for the HOB and the Episcopal Church and there is no reason for us to stay.

"We came, we spoke up, but it is very clear, despite all the niceness and "conversation" that the Episcopal Church has committed itself to a course of action that leaves no room for us." Most of the orthodox bishops did not stay at the Intercontinental Hotel but decamped at a nearby hotel as a faithful expression of opposition to the church's position on sexuality.

Mrs. Schori's offer of eight bishops who would serve as "episcopal visitors" with orthodox dioceses that are ready to leave The Episcopal Church was greeted with derision by two bishops - The Rt. Rev. Keith Ackerman (Quincy) and Pittsburgh Bishop Bob Duncan. The pair told VirtueOnline that they had never been consulted and it was laughable of her to think that she could dump this idea on them without so much as a by your leave. "We were never consulted, we are not interested in the arrangement, it is dead on arrival."

Their views echoed those of the Rt. Rev. Jeffrey Steenson, Bishop of the Rio Grande, who said that when he first heard about it the idea was dead on arrival. "It was a throwaway idea that will get thrown out."

Pittsburgh Suffragan Bishop Henry Scriven confirmed that all the talk by the House of Bishops yesterday, both public and in small table groups, did nothing but maintain the status quo. It was all very restrained, but it is clear the HOB has no intention of going back or reversing itself on its pansexual agenda.

Another bishop sadly said that he could see no path forward for orthodox bishops in the TEC. In the months ahead, violent confrontations between minority liberal clergy and orthodox bishops coupled with massive litigation to keep the church together are expected.

Everything hinges now on the Common Cause bishops meeting next week in Pittsburgh. They will decide the future of the orthodox remnant in The Episcopal Church. Bishop Duncan cautioned that nothing final will come out of the meeting as several dioceses will have diocesan conventions to call where the issues of going forward will be discussed.

PRESS CONFERENCE

At a press conference yesterday the focus was on conversation, not resolution.

Two liberal bishops, John Rabb (Maryland) and Robert O'Neil (Colorado), told a press conference that bishops, both conservative and liberal, expressed a free range of opinions, listened respectfully to one another, articulated their hopes and issues behind closed doors, but came to no conclusion about how to resolve the church's seemingly intractable problems.

Talks will continue today where the Archbishop of Canterbury is expected to make some observations before leaving town. The Joint Standing committee of the Anglican Consultative Council is expected to carry the ball once he leaves.

According to the two bishops, Williams spoke to them in the context of their conversation, but offered up only questions. Today some of the other visitors from overseas are expected to offer their responses and observations to the HOB.

Rabb said that different theological points of view were heard in "conversation" a word that was repeated some 40 times at the press conference.

"The emphasis of conversation is rooted in conversion, the process of change to listen and be one to what the other is saying. The conversation was respectful and rich in content. The HOB had very specific norms that were held too. The conversation was respectful, we listened intently and the overview was reported by the ABC."

O'Neill said Williams gave them working questions which were taken up in table groups. "We stayed together, we talked to one another and summarized what was said."

When asked if any jurisdictional questions were put to Williams, O'Neill declined to answer as it would "violate the boundaries set by the HOB." He confirmed that it came up and "we had conversation about it."

Asked by another reporter about specifics of how the HOB sees its life and ministry and how it proposed corporate care for the whole church, the two bishops said that nothing had happened conclusively. "Bishop Katharine announced that she was exploring the idea of providing provision and pastoral oversight and that was as far as it went."

Pressed by Times-Picayune reporter Bruce Nolan about the nature of that oversight and whether it was full pastoral oversight or just substitute bishops, O'Neill replied that it was up to the Presiding Bishop's office to make that clearer.

Asked about who might still be invited to Lambeth next year, Rabb replied, "only the Archbishop can answer that question."

Asked about who is going to decide whether to abide by the Primates request and its call to respond to the Windsor Report, O'Neill replied only the Archbishop with the General Convention can decide that.

Pushed about the Sept. 30 deadline set by the Primates for the HOB to be Windsor-compliant, the two bishops responded saying that the HOB as a body did not address this.

Asked if Williams represented the Primates, the bishops said no, that he was here as the Archbishop of Canterbury and was extended an invitation to come from the HOB by Mrs. Schori. There were no specific requests made of him and it is not known whether Williams is satisfied or dissatisfied.

The two bishops described the conversations as "very open and forthright. There was no holding back but the bishops conducted themselves with respect. We are having conversation; we are not done with the process."

Asked if the delegates of the Joint Standing Committee of the ACC participated in the conversation, the bishops replied, "We had a good and full exchange."

Asked by a New York Times reporter if they had any sense from Williams about what was at stake, the bishops replied that the "Dar es Salaam communique was not the essence of our conversation, it was not part of the conversation. The conversation was not about the communique."

O'Neill concluded that the six hours of conversation did not draw any conclusions, but that the HOB took its common life, ministry and responsibilities seriously.

MORIAL CENTER

Last night at the Morial Convention Center, where an estimated crowd of some 2,000 gathered to hear Dr. Williams preach, Louisiana Bishop Charles E. Jenkins welcomed Williams and praised both him and Mrs. Schori, the Episcopal Church's presiding for their leadership.

The Louisiana Bishop said New Orleans was an outward and visible sign of God's mercy and love towards us. "We stand here tonight a symbol of good that can come from utter destruction. We see associations, fellowship and people working together that had little time for one another. God is good all the time. I think here this night and in this place we see the Christian church at its best. To be unmade is to be remade."

Citing Williams's words, Jenkins said "we have been unmade, let us work to be made by God's grace that we may build a just and inclusive society. We need to keep the focus on the Kingdom of God." Dioceses were invited to bring $10,000 to help recover and rebuild the dioceses of Louisiana and Mississippi.

Williams's sermon centered on the subject of gratitude. "We need as a society, as a community that can get to a deeper place. The gospel opens us up to a deeper dimension. Hope moves us away from our fears. We owe Christ big time," he said to applause.

He made no mention of the issues beguiling the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion.

END

FOOTNOTE: The bishops gave a combined total of $931,000 to the two dioceses of Mississippi and Louisiana.