Sent: Wednesday, September 13, 2006 11:03 AM
To: [Dallas Episcopal Clergy]
Subject: About the New York Meeting
From: the Rt. REv. James M. Stanton, Bishop of Dallas [followed by Bishop Duncan's statement, Jefferts Schori comments, meeting statement and Archbishop of Canterbury's statement.]
I have returned from the meeting in New York, suggested by the Archbishop of Canterbury in consultation with the Presiding Bishop. You will have seen by now, no doubt, the report of the meeting released by the Anglican Communion Office. Anxieties and expectations have been high concerning this meeting since it was announced.
Those who wanted (or feared) any kind of resolution at so brief a meeting were, I think, bound to be disappointed. However, speaking for myself, I believe it was important. I would characterize the meeting as frank and realistic, but also gracious and productive. All the bishops were engaged and open. “Speaking the truth in love” comes to mind. I expect there will be follow-ups to this gathering.
Faithfully, The Rt. Rev. James M. Stanton, Bishop of Dallas
Pittsburgh, PA --Bishop Robert Duncan, moderator of the Anglican Communion Network, thanked the people of the Network for their prayers and support during the just-completed meeting of Episcopal Bishops in New York. The meeting, called by the Archbishop of Canterbury, has not led to a mutually agreeable way forward.
“It was an honest meeting. It became clear that the division in the American church is so great that we are incapable of addressing the divide which has two distinctly different groups both claiming to be the Episcopal Church,” said Bishop Duncan, “Our request for Alternative Primatial Oversight (APO) still stands. We wait on the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Primates of the Anglican Communion to answer our request,” he added.
Anglican Communion Network Press Release 9/13/06 12:20 PM
Jefferts Schori Comments on meeting:
"The great value in this meeting was the ability to have face-to-face conversations with people who frequently are caricatured by others," Jefferts Schori said after the meeting. "Communicating on the internet about such issues relieves us of the incarnate necessity of engaging our neighbors." [Editor's Note: Oh, yes. She will be much easier to deal with and understand than Frank Griswold was.]
She said that the meeting was "an attempt to provide ministry and pastoral care for all parts of the Episcopal Church." Both (Schori and Griswold) acknowledged that the meeting took place during an anxious time not only in the church, but also in the world.
"I am fond of reminding people," Jefferts Schori added, "that without chaos there would have been no opportunity for creation."
Story written for ENS by Matthew Davies and Mary Francis Schjonberg
New York Bishops Meeting: A Statement
ACNS 4187 | USA | 13 SEPTEMBER 2006
Issued 13 September 2006, 3 p.m. GMT
A group of bishops met in New York on 11-13 September at the invitation of the Archbishop of Canterbury and in consultation with the Presiding Bishop to review the current landscape of the church in view of conflicts within the Episcopal Church. The Archbishop of Canterbury had received a request from seven dioceses for alternative primatial pastoral care and asked that American bishops address the question. The co-conveners of the meeting were Bishops Peter James Lee of Virginia and John Lipscomb of Southwest Florida. Other participating bishops were Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold, Presiding Bishop-elect Katharine Jefferts Schori and Bishops Jack Iker of Fort Worth, Robert Duncan of Pittsburgh, James Stanton of Dallas, Edward Salmon of South Carolina, Mark Sisk of New York, Dorsey Henderson of Upper South Carolina, and Robert O'Neill of Colorado. Also participating was Canon Kenneth Kearon, the Secretary General of the Anglican Communion.
We had honest and frank conversations that confronted the depth of the conflicts that we face. We recognized the need to provide sufficient space, but were unable to come to common agreement on the way forward. We could not come to consensus on a common plan to move forward to meet the needs of the dioceses that issued the appeal for Alternate Primatial Oversight. The level of openness and charity in this conference allow us to pledge to hold one another in prayer and to work together until we have reached the solution God holds out for us. Anglican Communion News Service
Archbishop of Canterbury: Response to New York statement
ACNS 4188 | LAMBETH | 13 SEPTEMBER 2006
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has responded to the statement issued earlier today from the meeting of bishops of The Episcopal Church (TEC) being held in New York.
Archbishop Williams said:
It's a positive sign that these difficult conversations have been taking place in a frank and honest way. There is clearly a process at work and although it hasn't yet come to fruition, the openness and charity in which views are being shared and options discussed are nevertheless signs of hope for the future. Our prayers continue. Anglican Communion News Service
