The Acts of Convention

House of Bishops

Original Text of Resolution:

(B013)

Resolved, the House of Deputies concurring, That the Constitution be amended by adding a new Article XII to read as follows:

ARTICLE XII.

The provisions of this Constitution shall be equally applicable to men and women.

and that the present Article XII be renumbered as Article XIII; and be it further

Resolved, the House of Deputies concurring, That this amendment shall take effect upon its final adoption by the General Convention.

Proposed Committee Substitute:

Resolved, the House of Deputies concurring, That this 68th General Convention regards the question of gender in Holy Orders as having been fully decided by the action of the 65th General Convention which declared both men and women to be eligible for ordination as Deacons, Priests and Bishops and reaffirms the judgment made at that time that, canonical provisions being sufficient, constitutional amendment is not necessary. However, in order to prevent misunderstanding from arising in the future, be it further

Resolved, That the Constitution be amended by adding a new Article XII to read as follows:

The masculine pronoun, whenever used in this Constitution, shall be deemed to include the feminine pronoun.

On the fourth day, the Committee moved B013 Substitute (Amend the Constitution by Adding New Article XII).

Seconded by the Bishop of West Tennessee.

The Presiding Bishop referred B013 Substitute and attendant materials to the Committee on Constitution.

On the fifth day, the Bishop of Eau Claire, Chairman of the Committee on Constitution, reported that the language of B013 is canonically correct.

The Bishop Suffragan of Texas moved B013 Substitute.

Seconded by Bishop Gordon.

Bishop Campbell moved that B013 Substitute be tabled.

Seconded by the Bishop of Northern Indiana.

Motion to table defeated

The Bishop of Northwestern Pennsylvania moved an amendment.

Proposed Amendment:

Delete the words "canonical provisions being sufficient, constitutional amendment is not necessary."

Seconded by Bishop Rose.

The Bishop of West Missouri moved an amendment.

Proposed Amendment:

Replace the word "fully" with the word "operationally";

add the words "this Church" following the words "decided by."

Seconded by the Bishop of Albany.

The Bishop of Newark moved to table the entire matter in favor of another Resolution which he has prepared for the House.

Seconded by Bishop Campbell.

Motion to table carried

On the sixth day, the Chairman of Dispatch of Business moved that B013 Substitute (Amend Constitution by Adding New Article XII) be removed from the table.

Seconded by the Bishop of Newark.

Motion carried

The Bishop of Massachusetts moved the following Substitute for the first Resolved clause of the original B013 Substitute as an expression of the mind of this House:

Proposed Substitute:

Resolved, That the majority of the members of this House do not intend to withhold consent to the election of a Bishop of this Church on ground of gender, and we call upon the Presiding Bishop-elect to communicate this intention to the Primates of the Anglican Communion and seek the advice of the Episcopate of the Anglican Communion through the Primates at the earliest possible date.

Seconded by the Bishop of Pennsylvania.

The Bishop of West Missouri moved to amend the proposed Substitute so that it would read as follows:

Proposed Amendment to the Substitute:

Resolved, That if a woman priest is duly elected Bishop in any Diocese of this Church and is certified by the canonical process, it is highly probable that the majority of this House will want to support that decision and that Diocese, and we call upon the Presiding Bishop-elect to communicate this intention to the Primates of the Anglican Communion and seek the advice of the Episcopate of the Anglican Communion through the Primates at the earliest possible date.

Seconded by Bishop Burrill.

Motion defeated

The Bishop of Massachusetts' Substitute for B013 Substitute (first Resolved clause) carried by a vote of 112 to 31.

Motion carried

Substitute resolution adopted as the mind of the House

The Bishop of Massachusetts moved the second Resolved clause of the original B013 Substitute.

Seconded by the Bishop of Utah.

The Bishop of Connecticut moved to table.

Seconded by Bishop Gordon.

Motion carried

Resolution tabled