By Jean Torkelson, Rocky Mountain News
September 26, 2007
Colorado Episcopal Bishop Rob O'Neill joined his colleagues Tuesday, pledging not to push same-sex unions and openly gay bishops until a wider consensus emerges in the worldwide Anglican Communion.
The U.S. bishops, meeting in New Orleans, were responding to a demand by the conservative Anglican majority overseas to renounce their pro-gay policies by Sunday, or face censure or even expulsion from the 72 million- member communion.
However, conservative churches in Colorado won't buy the bishops' carefully worded compromise, the Rev. Jim Paul, of Fort Collins predicted Tuesday.
"We've heard all this before," Paul said.
Paul said his 225 parishioners at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Fort Collins will announce on Sunday's deadline whether they plan to leave the diocese for a more compatible Anglican organization. He expects other Colorado churches to make similar decisions.
"They're being very quiet out there, but we know other parishes are lined up behind us," he said.
Dissent has been brewing in the Episcopal Church USA for years, with conservatives calling for a return to traditional teachings on marriage and scriptural authority.
In 2000, the first wave of conservative parishes began bolting the Colorado diocese. The loss of 13 clergy and the majority of members at six parishes was, at the time, the nation's largest Episcopal defection.
Paul said he has met with O'Neill to discuss whether St. Andrew's could buy or lease the Fort Collins property if it left the diocese. He said O'Neill indicated he was willing to consider options if church law permitted it.
The cordial situation at St. Andrew's is only one of several ways the national schism is unfolding.
Several weeks ago, O'Neill and the Rev. Chuck Reeder had a polite but chilly parting when Reeder and the vestry resigned from Church of the Holy Comforter in Broomfield. They expect to be joined by an unspecified number of parishioners in a new Anglican church. O'Neill expressed sadness at the loss but forced Reeder and the others to leave three weeks early.
The ugliest scenario has locked the diocese and the Rev. Don Armstrong in a grip of lawsuits. Armstrong is fighting the diocese for control of the landmark Grace Church & St. Stephen's in Colorado Springs. A church court found him guilty of financial wrongs and sparked a criminal investigation. Armstrong says he's innocent and being persecuted for his conservative beliefs.
torkelsonj@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5055
