Cherie Wetzel, Editor, THE ANGLICAN VOICE, reporting from New Orleans
This has been a whirlwind week. It started last Thursday morning by sitting next to the Archbishop of Canterbury at the opening Eucharist. I wept openly because of the depth of brokenness in my Church and he patted my arm. We exchanged the Peace and there was a marvelous twinkle in his eyes. I followed him to Communion and we sang harmonies on the closing hymn. He has a lovely baritone voice and sang the tenor line. I sang alto and the lady next to me sang soprano. Then he was surrounded and whisked away.
At the Peace, I gave him a note, telling him that you all were praying for him every hour; that we needed his help in sorting out this mess in our Church. I thanked him for coming and signed my name, representing Anglicans United, Dallas, Texas.
It was a tiny taste of heaven. You know, you just look at someone, and you know they love God, follow Jesus and need the Holy Spirit just as much as you do. Many question his leadership style or ability. I no longer question his faith.
Thursday afternoon, he met with real people at All Souls Mission in the Lower 9th Ward at a flooded out Walgreens drug store – the only press opportunity of the day to see him in action. He was present, very real and compassionate with everyone he met. It was a great hour.
The evening ended with a funeral procession by a jazz quartet at the Convention Center. The splendid evening was a celebration with the Archbishop for the people of New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. And I was starkly reminded again why I had come. Was I here for a funeral for the Church home I have known almost 40 years? Maybe.
Today, some 5 days later, the House of Bishops adopted an 8-point Statement that does not change the decisions made by the 2006 General Convention with regard to the consecration of gay and lesbians to the episcopate; or stopping gay blessings. Again, they reiterated that they have not and will not, “authorize public rites for the blessing of same-sex unions.” What about the gay blessings already taking place? The House claims they are allowed as a pastoral response to gay and lesbian persons, cited in the Windsor Report.
The House also endorsed the Presiding Bishop’s plan for Episcopal visitors to demonstrate to the Communion that they are willing and able to take care of ALL of the people in this church. Two more bishops volunteered today for this position, making the total number 8. These are the first four points of the Statement.
Three dioceses: Fort Worth, San Joaquin, and Quincy, do not ordain women and will not accept oversight from a woman bishop. These three said in Friday’s session, that the plan was not adequate, because it still links them to Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori. They will not be related even technically to a female bishop.
Point #5 says that they “deplore the incursions into our jurisdictions by uninvited bishops and call for them to end.” Even with the consecration of Americans to serve these parishes as their bishop, the foreign bishops will continue to come. This issue needs prayer and clear discernment.
Point #6 calls “for increasing implementation of the listening process across the Communion and for a report on its progress to Lambeth 2008.” The Archbishop of Canterbury appointed a Listening Process Coordinator months ago, but that does not guarantee that Provinces with heavy Muslim contingencies and neighbors will oblige. This includes not just Africa, but the Middle East and large portions of South East Asia.
Point #7, “Supports the Archbishop of Canterbury in his expressed desire to explore ways for the Bishop of New Hampshire (V. Gene Robinson) to participate in the Lambeth Conference. To date, Bishop Robinson has not been invited to Lambeth even as an observer. Neither were the Americans consecrated in Africa, a point that will not be lost on the Primates.
Point #8, “We call for unequivocal and active commitment to the civil rights, safety and dignity of gay and lesbian persons.” A commendable idea, but 10 Provinces are either partially or fully governed by Islamic Sharia Law. Acting out as a homosexual in these places is still punishable by either torturous imprisonment or death. Did you hear Ahmadinejad of Iran at Columbia University yesterday? He spoke the current philosophy, “there are no homosexuals in Iran.”
The rest of the statement is 2 pages of explanations on the eight points. The Introduction on page 1, claims that “It is our conviction that The Episcopal Church needs the Anglican Communion, and we heard from our guests that the Anglican Communion needs The Episcopal Church.” It was stated and restated many times that they want and expect to remain a part of the Communion. This House does not expect to take an Associate membership, without major representation on the Councils of the Communion. They do believe that they have adequately explained their polity and the democratic way that this church works, with two houses making decisions and no one house being able to pass anything without the concurrence of the other. This is the opposite of many provinces that only have a House of Bishops. Laity are involved in the local churches and dioceses, but not in the decision making for the national church.
When Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori made the statement at the Press Conference that this Statement represented true sacrifice on the parts of the members of the house, it rang hollow. One reporter (no, not me) asked how she could possibly say that, since they hadn’t acceded to any of the Primate’s requests. The response, ”What was given up and what was compromised reflects the desire of our Bishops to stay in the Communion.”
I may not look to us like anything was sacrificed, but many bishops did not want to endorse B-033 which virtually stops the election of another gay bishop until after the 2009 General Convention, when B-033 will certainly not be renewed. Many already have rites for same-sex blessings but the gay community challenges those rites as being second-class to traditional marriage rites. And make no mistake about it, the gay community watches these things very closely. The gallery had many more homosexuals today than even yesterday. They come, they take notes, they listen and then they follow up with their bishops. They are very determined.
I am very aware that the Common Cause Council of Bishops meeting began this evening in Pittsburgh. It was timed to follow this House of Bishops meeting, so that the resultant Statement can be evaluated and a way forward planned for those who choose a different path. I am also aware that several of the Primates that I know and have spoken with recently will not read good news into today’s Statement. They will read defiance and a refusal to bend.
And so, the tennis match continues. The Primates’ volley, lobbed last February, has definitively been returned by TEC. The next three months will be telling for the Biblically orthodox in this country. I believe many will be forced to make decisions who do not now expect to and some, who have already done so, may have to wait to act on their decision.
But one thing is clear: The New Anglican entity in the US is closer today than it was yesterday. I bid you Peace. Cherie Wetzel, reporting from New Orleans
This will be my last post on the House of Bishops meeting. The next Anglican Voice will be arriving next week, with summaries and pictures of this meeting. I will post a full copy of the statement as soon as it is available tonight. Other reactions to the Statement and breaking news will be on the website daily, starting tomorrow.
