The orthodox bishop shot back saying that there were no grounds to question the validity of the confirmations performed by Bishop Cox.

Referring to the secretly planned March 14 service near Akron, Ohio in which six bishops, including five retired Episcopal bishops, performed confirmations without permission of the Bishop of Ohio, Deimel continued, “In March, we saw confirmations by bishops of the Episcopal Church in circumstances unapproved by the bishop with jurisdiction. Now we see confirmations approved by the bishop with jurisdiction, but by a bishop not allowed by the canons to act within and on behalf of the Episcopal Church.”

PEP is a member of the Via Media organization that is sweeping across the Episcopal Church in an effort to stem the growing orthodox tide against the church’s revisionists. Their goal is to promote the new religion of inclusivism that stands in opposition to the biblical message of redemption.

Christopher Wilkins, PEP Vice President for Operations, commenting on the Cox visit to St. Michael’s of the Valley, said, “We find it sad and ironic that people who accuse the church of violating its own faith and order themselves violate, with apparent impunity, that same faith and order whenever it suits them.”

Nancy Righter, the wife of Walter Righter the retired Bishop of Iowa is on the membership committee of the Pittsburgh Via Media. Righter himself was recently exposed by VIRTUOSITY for functioning without a license in the Diocese of Pittsburgh but with the full knowledge and consent of Via Media.

Bishop Duncan responded to the PEP Via Media crowd saying, “We share so much with our brothers and sisters in the Reformed Episcopal Church. It pleases me greatly that a church in the Diocese of Pittsburgh was willing to act on that common heritage in a way that brings us together.”

The orthodox bishop made it very clear that there are no grounds to question the validity of the confirmations performed by Bishop Cox. Confirmation, said Bishop Duncan, is primarily a sign of an adult individual’s relationship with the whole Christian church, not just a particular portion of it. Episcopalians have acknowledged this for decades by not requiring individuals confirmed in other denominations to be reconfirmed when they enter the Episcopal Church. Bishop Cox was acting under Duncan’s authority when he confirmed at St. Michael’s.

According to preliminary opinions from both the chancellor emeritus and current chancellor of the diocese, "No provisions of the Constitution or canons of the Episcopal Church were broken in the authorization for a Reformed Episcopal Bishop to act," said Bp. Duncan.

However, the bishop and standing committee have asked for a detailed report from the chancellor.

Reflecting on the occasion, the Rev. James Simons rector of St. Michael’s, Ligonier said, “It was a wonderful, Spirit-filled morning in which we celebrated the oneness of the body of Christ. The parish has an ongoing friendship with members of the Reformed Episcopal Church. We’ve been strengthened by those friendships,” he added.

Bishop Duncan’s permission for Bishop Cox to be part of the service was faithful to a decades-long effort by Episcopalians and members of the Reformed Episcopal Church to heal a 131 year-old breach in the Anglican family. The REC and the Episcopal Church parted ways in 1873, but still share the same foundations of Anglican Christianity – the 39 Articles, the Book of Common Prayer, and the succession of bishops from the apostles. According to Duncan, the issues that separated the REC from the Episcopal Church in 1873 present no obstacle to faithful Anglicans in both churches today.

“Closing the gap between the two churches has recently been complicated by the theological innovations introduced into the Episcopal Church by the 2003 General Convention. However we believe that there is still much that faithful Christians in both churches can do to unify their witness to Christ.”

The Episcopal Church has commended efforts to establish full communion with the REC at the 2000 General Convention in resolution D047. That trend continued during the 2003 General Convention when resolution 006 “received with thanksgiving” the beginning of dialogue with the REC. Uniting all forms of Anglicanism is also a priority of the 1998 Lambeth Conference. The international meeting of all the leaders of Anglican churches in communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury requested that Anglicans begin ecumenical work “with a view to the reconciliation of all who own the Anglican tradition” (Lambeth IV 11.b).

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