Advocacy group looks to General Convention
Episcopal News Service. February 18, 2009 [021809-01]
During its recent meeting at Seabury-Western Theological Seminary, the Chicago Consultation said it would support efforts to have the Episcopal Church's General Convention "exclude any outside restrictions" on the canons governing episcopal elections.
The group, made up of Episcopal and other Anglican bishops, clergy and lay people, supports the full inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered Christians in the Episcopal Church and the worldwide Anglican Communion. It also includes representatives of many Episcopal church-related advocacy groups.
"We call upon the deputies and bishops who will assemble in Anaheim to act so that all of God's children in the Episcopal Church can realize the full promise of their baptism," Ruth Meyers, co-convener of the group and professor of liturgics at Seabury, said in a news release.
The Chicago Consultation's participants agreed to support expected General Convention resolutions that will affirm the Episcopal Church's Title III canons governing the election, consent or ordination of bishops, and "exclude any outside restrictions on those canons," the statement said.
"The Episcopal Church's canon law allows local dioceses to discern and elect the bishops who can best serve them," said Meyers. "We believe that these canons have served us well and are essential to our common life. Moreover, we believe that the church would be ill-served by relinquishing its historic local initiative."
The resolutions pertain to Resolution B033 from the 2006 General Convention, which calls for Standing Committees and bishops with jurisdiction to exercise restraint by not consenting to the episcopal election of individuals "whose manner of life presents a challenge to the wider church and will lead to further strains on communion."
The Chicago Consultation also said it supports General Convention resolutions that, if passed, would have the church establish a rite for blessings of same-sex unions. "For 30 years, the Episcopal Church has prayed and studied about same-sex unions, and we have seen the evidence of God's blessing in the lives of these couples," said Meyers. "In many parishes blessings are already happening without a formal rite. Now it is time for our church of common prayer to establish a common rite of blessing."
The group also said it strongly supports The Episcopal Church's role as "a significant and committed member" of the Anglican Communion. "Our relationships and experience show that it is possible both to participate in the mission of the worldwide Anglican communion and also to embrace the full participation of our gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered brothers and sisters," said Meyers. "We choose to pursue this sometimes difficult but always fruitful path."