HAWAI'I, UTAH: Dioceses issue statements to House of Bishops
Episcopal News Service. March 15, 2007 [031507-03]
Mary Frances Schjonberg
The Episcopal Dioceses of Hawai'i and Utah have issued statements related to the House of Bishops meeting convening March 16-21 at Camp Allen, near Houston, Texas.
At that meeting the bishops will begin considering the requests made of them by the recent Primates' Meeting in Tanzania.
In their communiqué, the Primates of the Anglican Communion called for the formation of a "Pastoral Council" that would work in cooperation with the Episcopal Church to negotiate the necessary structures for those who feel unable to accept the direct ministry of their bishop or of Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori.
The Primates also requested that the Episcopal Church's House of Bishops "make an unequivocal common covenant" that they will not authorize same-gender blessings within their dioceses and confirm that Resolution B033, passed at the 75th General Convention, means that a candidate for bishop who is living in a same-gender relationship "shall not receive the necessary consent unless some new consensus on these matters emerges across the Communion."
The Primates told the House of Bishops to respond to them by September 30, 2007. The House of Bishops meets twice before that time, first March 16-21 at Camp Allen and again in September.
The Executive Council met earlier this month and issued a letter to the church. It meets again in early June in Parsippany, New Jersey.
The deputation of Hawai`I met March 6, according to its statement, and voted ''to request that the House of Bishops consider seriously'' a serious of steps it suggests. They include:
- ''Acknowledge receipt of communications from primates and other Communion-wide groups, but do not respond to any ultimatums or commands'';
- ''Do not violate the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church in spirit or in fact'';
- ''Do not agree to any suggestion that subverts the autonomy of the Episcopal Church, e.g., the suggested form of a primatial vicar and pastoral council to whom the primatial vicar would be accountable'';
- ''Remember that the so-called instruments of unity have no authority over any province, including the Episcopal Church'';
- ''Insist that provinces are treated equitably regarding the Windsor Report and subsequent reports, rather than allowing pressure to be put on only the Episcopal Church'';
- ''Stay the course; do not sacrifice the autonomy of the Episcopal Church, nor the breadth and depth of Anglican theological inquiry as framed in Hooker's Of Ecclesiastical Polity and Resolution II of the Lambeth Conference of 1888.''
The Utah deputies to general convention, diocesan leadership, and Bishop Carolyn Tanner Irish have written a paper in response to the Primates' Communiqué and the draft of the Covenant Design Group.
The paper ''seeks to reframe the conversation of matters now dividing the Anglican Communion worldwide.''
''We are concerned that the Communion is addressing proposals to change our polity substantially, driven by the tensions around issues of human sexuality,'' the paper says. ''We believe this will set a dangerous precedent. There will come other issues that have the potential to divide us. These ought not to be resolved by redefining our structures each time they emerge, nor can one newly-created structure hope to anticipate all future demands.''
The paper covers the topics of the baptismal covenant, ''defining and refining authority,'' human sexuality and communications.
Among other points of polity, the paper says ''Our bishops are bound by the decisions of the General Convention of this Church.''
''They may not, even by common covenant amongst themselves, agree to do otherwise. They may, of course, individually exercise the latitude allowed them in canons and in General Convention resolutions. But they may not covenant to act unilaterally to clarify or sidestep the processes of General Convention and to frustrate the freedom and intent of the Constitution and Canons of this Church.''
The paper's conclusion says: ''We respectfully present these thoughts and concerns to the wider Church, praying that they may assist in reframing the debates away from the narrow consideration of human sexual conduct and toward the humanity of those persons who are gay and lesbian, the place of Holy Scripture richly interpreted in our moral decision-making, and the structures of our communities through which we seek to live in the light of Christ.
''We encourage our Presiding Bishop, The Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori, to foster the formation of networks with Primates who are supportive of the actions and directions of The Episcopal Church. Their collective voice will assist the Communion in understanding that the issues we have spoken of in this paper have support in other provinces and are not solely expressed by many in The Episcopal Church.''
The complete text of the statement is available here.