OKLAHOMAOKLAHOMA BISHOP MAKES MAJOR GAFFE IN LETTER TO PITTSBURGH BISHOP: DUNCAN SAYS MOODY'S LETTER BASED ON FALSE ASSUMPTIONS

Special Report by David W. Virtue — Oklahoma City, OK (8/11/2004)

The Bishop of Oklahoma, the Rt. Rev. Robert M. Moody has written a letter, which Virtuosity has obtained, publicly castigating and chastising the Bishop of Pittsburgh, the Rt. Rev. Robert W. Duncan, Jr., over the appointment of a deacon in his diocese, who was not, it turned out, under his jurisdiction.

In his letter, Moody blasted Duncan saying that the appointment of the Rev. Vern Caswell as vicar of St. James Anglican Church (formerly St. James Episcopal Church - an ECUSA parish) was outside his authority and jurisdiction and he questioned the orthodox bishop's pastoral judgment.

Moody accused Duncan of assigning the recent graduate of Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry to this parish "as the moderator of the Anglican Communion Network."

"Since the Anglican Communion Network is not a jurisdiction that is recognized within The Episcopal Church or by The Anglican Communion, I question how you, as an active Diocesan Bishop of the Episcopal Church can assign or permit one of your Deacons to function in a congregation that is not a member of The Episcopal Church or the Anglican Communion? I also question your authority and pastoral judgment to assign a Deacon to minister outside the Diocese of Pittsburgh and within the Diocese of Oklahoma," he wrote to Duncan.

Moody then said that he realized that Duncan was not breaking the letter of the Canons and Constitutions, "especially as St. James Anglican Church is not part of this diocese and is not part of the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion. But you are breaking the spirit of the Canons and Constitutions that govern this Episcopal Church and you bringing schism into this Church by your actions."

The bishop, who is known for his revisionist positions, concluded the letter by saying that he felt "regret and deep sorrow" because of Duncan's actions.

Bishop Duncan responded and on July 30th wrote the following letter to Moody:

Dear Bob,

Word of your letter has reached me while on vacation in rural France. Your communication proceeded based upon a false assumption as stated in your letter, "I assume that he is under your authority and that you are assigning him to this ministry as the moderator of the Anglican Communion Network." It would have been simple to pick up the telephone and check with me. It is destructive of the life of the church to communicate with the entire church without verification. All the bishops of the church now have a letter stating something that is not true.

Before I left on vacation I had already begun the proceedings to transfer Deacon Vern Caswell to the Most. Rev. Gregory Venables, Primate of the Southern Cone, at their mutual request. Since then, Archbishop Venables has received Deacon Caswell. His subsequent assignment is not a matter of my jurisdiction.

Finally, while your letter questions my authority and pastoral judgment, I must state that it was your action and those of the majority of the bishops of the Episcopal Church that created the schism to which you refer. The consequences of last summer are simply unfolding all around us. I regret this is so, and even more so in consideration that with the Church's adoption of these innovations it finds itself increasingly separated from the vast majority of the Anglican Communion and the whole of catholic Christendom.

Please know that those of us in the Network are most willing to try to work with you to repair the damage done if you would turn back from these innovations which have been so divisive.

Faithfully in Christ, +Robert/Pittsburgh.

Both letters were also sent to the Presiding Bishop, Bishop Clay Matthews, The Chancellor, The Diocesan Bishops of the Episcopal Church.

Bishop Moody is the first bishop in the 2,000-year history of Christendom to ordain a transsexual to the Diaconate. The Rev. Paul Schonauer is now the Rev. Paula Schonauer, following a sex change operation.