TEXAS: EPISCOPAL BISHOPS MEET AMID TENSION OVER N.H. GAY BISHOP

At their March 19–25, 2004 meeting in Navasota, Texas, ECUSA bishops confronted the fallout from Gene Robinson’s consecration.

Though billed as non-legislative and focused on “reconciliation,” the gathering centered on a key flashpoint: how to provide episcopal oversight for conservative parishes rejecting their local (often pro-Robinson) bishops.

Griswold’s proposed solution—allowing visiting orthodox bishops, but only with local approval and appeal to regional bodies—was immediately rejected by conservatives, who view both mechanisms as stacked against them.

Bishop Duncan attended selectively, boycotting plenary sessions he deemed unproductive. Others fully boycotted; some participated.

The Akron confirmation event loomed large. While Griswold’s Council of Advice called it a violation meant to “sow division,” conservatives saw it as necessary ecclesial triage.

The message was clear: without structural reform, defiance will escalate—and congregations may begin departing en masse.

WASHINGTON: BISHOP CHANE APPOINTS TASK FORCE TO DEVELOP NON-MARRIAGE RITE

Bishop John Bryson Chane of Washington announced the formation of a Task Force on the Blessing of Relationships, charged with drafting a rite for couples “for whom the Celebration and Blessing of a Marriage… is not appropriate or available.”

The rite would serve same-sex couples and others—for example, elderly partners avoiding marriage for legal or financial reasons. Chane noted that over 266,000 U.S. couples aged 65+ fall into the latter category.

The diocese has a history of informal relationship blessings, and the Task Force invited submissions of existing liturgical materials.

No timeline was given for General Convention approval. The move positions Washington among the most progressive dioceses in ECUSA.