CHURCHES WANT A CONSERVATIVE BISHOP

Seabury, other churches troubled by their leader's support of gay bishop

By Bethne Dufresne | General Assignment Reporter/Columnist | THE DAY

7/17/2004

NEW LONDON, CT 7/17/2004 — Power, not sex, is the crux of a dispute within America's Episcopal Church over the consecration of the church's first openly gay bishop.

So said a spokesman Friday for six churches, including Bishop Seabury in Groton, that are seeking to be led by a bishop other than the head of the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut, the Rt. Rev. Andrew D. Smith, who supported the consecration.

The six churches are the only ones among the state's 178 Episcopal congregations to apply for what is called "Delegated Episcopal Pastoral Oversight." But the Rev. Mark Hansen of St. John's Episcopal Church in Bristol said it won't remove them from Smith's jurisdiction.

A major concern, said Hansen, is the selection of future pastors. Church tradition says the presiding bishop must approve the parish's selection. Hansen and his group want written assurance that parishioners can "call" pastors without fear of veto by a bishop, such as Smith, who doesn't share their opposition to gay clergy.

"Not one of us intends to leave the church," assured the Rev. Ronald A. Gauss of Bishop Seabury, who is on vacation and spoke via phone from Kentucky.

But parishioners are "very worried," he said. "If I were to retire," he explained, "the church might not be able to call up the person they want."

The global Anglican Communion, of which the Episcopal Church here is a part, has been deeply divided over the consecration of the Rt. Rev. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, a divorced man who lives openly with his gay partner. Church leaders in some nations have gone so far as to suggest that the American church be thrown out of the Anglican Communion.

Many in the Episcopal Church have embraced the decision to ordain Robinson, and most appear to have accepted it. But a number of orthodox Anglican parishes, including Groton's Bishop Seabury, have joined the American Anglican Council, not a breakaway church but formed in opposition to the U.S. church's liberal direction.

To keep the Anglican Communion whole while a commission appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury studies the fissures, global primates mandated "adequate or alternative Episcopal pastoral oversight." This, said Hansen, would allow "biblically orthodox" parishes like his to report to a bishop in line with their thinking.

But "through a sleight of hand," said Hansen, the American House of Bishops changed "alternative" to "delegated."

Smith acknowledged that the two are "fundamentally different." But "we have our own policy, our own church canons," he said. "Other provinces have different procedures."

Alternative oversight places a church "under the jurisdiction of another bishop entirely," said Smith. "Delegated means the diocesan bishop remains the bishop of all the parishes, but certain functions can be delegated to another bishop."

As Smith struggles to keep the Connecticut diocese united, dissenting churches are seeking as much distance as possible. The group also includes Christ Church in Watertown, St. Paul's Church in Darien, Trinity Church in Bristol and Christ & The Epiphany Church in East Haven.

Pastors of the six churches asked to meet with Smith as a group, but he has insisted on meeting with each individually.

Hansen said this a "divide and conquer" tactic.

Smith said it's his duty to treat each parish as a unique unit. "Each parish is very different," he said, and one other bishop might not be able to meet all their needs. "This is one of the things I want to talk about," he said.

Smith ignored the group's request that he apologize for his vote in favor of Robinson, and their request for "written assurance that you and the Diocese of Connecticut will not foster a ministerial environment that is hostile to our parishes' mission and ministries."

Hansen will meet with Smith later this month, but Gauss said vacations — his and Smith's — might keep them from meeting until the end of August.

Gauss said he was in no rush, that these things take time.

Hansen was offended by Smith's terse July 9 letter to him that began, "In my capacity as canonical overseer I issue to you a Pastoral Direction." Smith went on, in three sentences, to tell Hansen when and where they would meet one-on-one.

Hansen, echoing the sentiments of another of the six pastors, said it sounded like he was being "served with a subpoena."

But Smith made no apologies for his directive. "It is what it is," he said.

"I don't know why he (Smith) won't meet with us as a group," said Gauss. "But I will obey his directive. He is still my bishop."