Bishop Allin Says New Church Not in Communion with Episcopal Church
Episcopal News Service. February 6, 1978 [78030]
New York, N.Y. -- The new schismatic church body set up on January 28 in Denver when four bishops were consecrated is not in communion with the Episcopal Church, according to the Rt. Rev. John M. Allin, Presiding Bishop of the three millionmember Episcopal Church.
In a February 6 letter to the bishops of the Church, Bishop Allin said that he and Dr. Donald Coggan, Archbishop of Canterbury and spiritual leader of the 46.7 millionmember worldwide Anglican Communion, "agree that the new ecclesiastical body is not in communion with the See of Canterbury nor in communion with this Province of the Anglican Communion." The Episcopal Church in the U.S. is one of 26 independent provinces of the Anglican Communion.
Bishop Allin said that he and Dr. Coggan had recently been in touch by telephone about the Denver event.
The new church body split from the Episcopal Church over certain actions of the 1976 General Convention, including its decision to ordain women to the priesthood, its revision of the Book of Common Prayer, and its stand on abortion and remarriage of divorced persons.
Bishop Allin told the bishops that Bishop Albert A Chambers, retired head of the Diocese of Springfield (Illinois), "acted without the consent or authorization of this Church to ordain to the episcopacy four persons who had been selected to be the leaders of a new ecclesiastical body," which is provisionally called the Anglican Church in North America.
"I deplore the action taken by Bishop Chambers," the Presiding Bishop wrote. He said he had "counseled Bishop Chambers against taking the action he did. " He also pointed out that "in this reconciliation effort" he had the support of the House of Bishops, which set up a Committee on Church Relations last October at its meeting in Florida.
Bishop Allin said, "We have again been painfully reminded that bishops of the Church are not free to perform episcopal acts without proper authorization by the Church and out of the context that has been set forth by the Church for such acts. "
The Episcopal Church leader said he was "disappointed that the Denver ceremony took place, especially in view of the fact that we have made several attempts to effect reconciliation with leaders of the new church group. "
In the Denver consecration service, Bishop Chambers was joined by Bishop Francisco J. Pagtakhan of the Philippine Independent Church, which is in the Roman Catholic rather than the Anglican tradition.
Bishop Allin said that the Most Rev. Macario Ga, Supreme Bishop of the Philippine Independent Church, had cabled him following the Denver rites, saying that he was "shocked and distressed" by Bishop Pagtakhan's act, about which he had not known in advance and which was not authorized by his Church.
Bishop Allin told his fellow bishops that "extra precautions" should be taken "not to add to the confusion that has been created" and that the Church should do all that it can "to reach out to those who might be especially attracted by the new church structure. Our people have not been forsaken by their Church," he said.
He also asked that the bishops "make certain that the door is kept open to those who might wish to return to communion with us after an initial decision to leave the Episcopal Church." He said the Church must "make it as easy as possible" for those with "second thoughts" to return If they wish.
Bishop Allin wrote, "Being mindful of and striving to be obedient to our Lord's desire for unity, we know that the lessons of history clearly indicate that the forming of new church groups is rarely the means to facilitate the resolution of our differences."
He asked his fellow bishops to "join in praying that we might continue to be faithful to God's will for us."