A Statement of Concern
Episcopal News Service. October 19, 1995 [95-1279]
Rt. Rev. William Wantland, Rt. Rev. Donald Parsons, Rt. Rev. Jack Iker, Rt. Rev. Keith Ackerman, Rt. Rev. John-David Schofield, Rt. Rev. William C. R. Sheridan
The House of Bishops, by its vote yesterday, has abandoned patient dialogue and adopted authoritarian command as the way to "solve" the ongoing tension between those who support and those who, for theological reasons, cannot honestly accept the ordination of women. This action is a denial of the basic Anglican principle that the Church cannot demand that which cannot be proven from the plain teaching of Scripture. A Catholic theological position universally held for almost 2,000 years, and still embraced by a majority of the Anglican Communion, will have been banished from the life and practice of this church.
The devastation of this repressive legislation on tens of thousands of Episcopalians cannot begin to be measured. Hundreds and hundreds of priests, deacons, and religious will likewise be affected. Turmoil in parishes across the land is assured by this action. The issue touches far more than the lives of people in four dioceses, and more members of this House than four bishops.
As the bishop of New Jersey said, we "have 27 months" before coercion begins. Clearly, this threat and this action create a new level of impaired communion, subverting the collegiality of the House, and guaranteeing, for the first time in history, that the Episcopal Church will actively prohibit Catholic order.
We re-affirm our own total commitment to the Catholic order and faith, even in the face of a coming persecution. We will not abandon the faithful, no matter the cost. Because we love the church, we cannot remain silent when the self-destruction of the church has begun. What has happened to us today has set a precedent for others tomorrow.
Rt. Rev. William Wantland
Rt. Rev. Donald Parsons
Rt. Rev. Jack Iker
Rt. Rev. Keith Ackerman
Rt. Rev. John-David Schofield
Rt. Rev. William C. R. Sheridan