| Resolution Number: | 1988-B022 |
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| Title: | Establish Temporary Provision for Episcopal Visitors |
| Legislative Action Taken: | Concurred As Substituted and Amended |
| Final Text: | |
Resolved, That since this Church acted at the 65th General Convention to authorize the ordination of women to the priesthood and the episcopate there is a growing consensus that the large numbers of women now serving in Holy Orders have brought fresh and complementary gifts to the priestly ministry; and that, although this decision has resulted in joy in many quarters of the Church, it has also resulted in awkwardness, both for its advocates and its opponents. Accepting this tension and anticipating the probability of the election and ordination of a woman to the episcopate, this Convention strongly urges all bishops, Standing Committees, and Commissions on Ministry to strive for justice and peace and to be sensitive to the pastoral needs of all their people. In any diocese where reconciliation is necessary, the diocesan bishop should seek continuing dialogue with clergy and congregations whose convictions differ from the bishop's, so that the unity of the church will continue unimpaired and even strengthened. This Church is confident that the Bishops of the Episcopal Church will deal pastorally with those bishops, priests, deacons or lay persons who may not be able to accept women as bishops; and be it further
Resolved, That:
- The Presiding Bishop may designate members of the House of Bishops to act as Episcopal Visitors to provide episcopal sacramental acts for congregations of this Church upon the request and under the authority and direction of the Ecclesiastical Authority of a Diocese. Nothing in this provision shall be construed as abrogating the jurisdiction of the Bishop, or Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution* and the Canonical relationships between the Diocesan Bishop and the Congregation, together with its clergy.
- The Diocesan Bishop shall notify the Presiding Bishop's office in writing of all requests and arrangements made in each case. The Presiding Bishop shall make a report in writing to each meeting of the House of Bishops.
- This provision is only to be used for the transition and incorporation of women into all ordained ministries and is not otherwise applicable.
- This provision shall remain in effect until the 71st General Convention and, unless re-affirmed, it shall expire upon its adjournment.
- * Sec. 3. A Bishop shall confine the exercise of his office to his own Diocese, unless he shall have been requested to perform episcopal acts in another Diocese by the Ecclesiastical Authority thereof, or unless he shall have been authorized by the House of Bishops, or by the Presiding Bishop by its direction to act temporarily in case of need within any territory not yet organized into Dioceses of this Church.
| Citation: | General Convention, Journal of the General Convention of...The Episcopal Church, Detroit, 1988 (New York: General Convention, 1989), p. 232. |
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Legislative History
| Author: | |
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| Originating House: | House of Bishops |
| Originating Committee: | Committee on Ministry |
House of Bishops
Original Text of Resolution:
(B022)
Resolved, the House of Deputies concurring, That
- The Presiding Bishop, with the consent of the House of Bishops, shall appoint Episcopal Visitors who share the convictions which necessitate this provision and who are willing to serve in this capacity;
- With the rector, vicar or minister-in-charge and the majority of the vestry concurring, any parish or mission, located in a diocese where a woman is functioning as a bishop or whose bishop has consented to the election of a woman to the episcopate, may request in writing that the diocesan bishop (or in the absence of a diocesan bishop, the ecclesiastical authority) arrange a visitation by one of the appointed Episcopal Visitors. Upon the first request, the diocesan bishop shall meet with the minister-in-charge and wardens to discuss this matter. The Episcopal Visitor may baptize, confirm, and celebrate the Eucharist. Though this relationship may be of a continuing nature, it does not place the parish or mission or its clergy under the jurisdiction or permanent pastoral care of the Episcopal Visitor. Nothing in this provision shall be construed as abrogating the canonical responsibility of the diocesan bishop to visit every congregation in the diocese of his or her jurisdiction at least once every three years.
- The diocesan bishop shall notify the Presiding Bishop in writing of all requests and arrangements made in each case.
- During the first triennium of this provision, the Presiding Bishop will seek funds to provide for the stipends of the Episcopal Visitors. Transportation costs will be negotiated locally by the diocesan bishop and the congregation.
- The diocesan bishop and the Episcopal Visitors shall make written annual reports to the Presiding Bishop. The Presiding Bishop shall make a report in writing to each meeting of the House of Bishops and the General Convention.
- This provision shall remain in effect until such time as it is repealed by the General Convention.
Proposed Committee Substitute:
This Church acted at the 65th General Convention to authorize the ordination of women to the priesthood and the episcopate. There is a growing consensus that the large numbers of women now serving in Holy Orders have brought fresh and complementary gifts to the priestly ministry; and that, although this decision has resulted in joy in many quarters of the Church, it has also resulted in awkwardness, both for its advocates and its opponents. Accepting this tension and anticipating the probability of the election and ordination of a woman to the episcopate, this Convention strongly urges all bishops, Standing Committees, and Commissions on Ministry to strive for justice and peace and to be sensitive to the pastoral needs of all their people. In any diocese where reconciliation is necessary, the diocesan bishop should seek continuing dialogue with clergy and congregations whose convictions differ from the bishop's, so that the unity of the Church will continue unimpaired and even strengthened. This Church is confident that the bishops of the Episcopal Church will deal pastorally with those bishops, priest, deacons, or lay persons who may not be able to accept women as bishops.
Resolved, the House of Deputies concurring, That
- The Presiding Bishop may designate members of the House of Bishops to act as Episcopal Visitors to provide episcopal sacramental acts for congregations of this Church upon the request and under the authority and direction of the Ecclesiastical Authority of a Diocese. Nothing in this provision shall be construed as abrogating the jurisdiction of a Bishop, or Article II, Section 3, of the Constitution and the canonical relationships between the Diocesan Bishop and the Congregation, together with its clergy.
- The Diocesan Bishop shall notify the Presiding Bishop's office in writing of all requests and arrangements made in each case. The Presiding Bishop shall make a report in writing to each meeting of the House of Bishops.
- This provision is only to be used for the transition and incorporation of women into all ordained ministries and is not otherwise applicable.
- This provision shall remain in effect until the 71st General Convention and, unless re-affirmed, it shall expire upon its adjournment.
[On the fourth day] The Chairman of the Committee of the Dispatch of Business moved that the House move into a Committee of the Whole for twenty minutes to discuss the Committee on Ministry Reports #24 and #25, concerning Resolutions B022 and B023, respectively.
Motion carried
The Bishop of Newark moved to extend the time of the Committee of the Whole by ten minutes.
Motion carried
The Chairman of the Committee on Dispatch of Business moved to extend the time until 12:00 noon [when the House was to recess].
Motion carried
[Later that day] the Committee on Ministry moved adoption of a Substitute Resolution.
The Bishop of Eau Claire moved to amend the Substitute Resolution.
Proposed Amendment:
Delete the words in numbered paragraph 3 and insert in its place:
3. This provision is to apply only to circumstances arising from the election and consecration of a woman to the episcopate, and shall not be otherwise applicable.
Motion defeated
Amendment defeated
The Bishop of Michigan moved to amend the Substitute Resolution.
Proposed Amendment:
Add the title "A Statement of Concern of the House of Bishops" to the preamble and delete everything from "Resolved" on.
The Bishop of New York moved to amend the amendment.
Proposed Amendment:
Ask the House of Deputies to concur.
The Bishop of Connecticut moved to substitute for the Bishop of Michigan's amendment.
Proposed Amendment:
Insert at the beginning the Committee's resolution:
"Resolved, the House of Deputies concurring, that the 69th General Convention adopt the following statement:"
Insert in place of the words "Resolved, the House of Deputies concurring, That" the following:
"and be it further Resolved, the House of Deputies concurring, That these are principles for implementing the foregoing."
Motion defeated
Substitute for the amendment defeated
The House voted on the Bishop of New York's amendment to the amendment.
Motion defeated
Amendment to the amendment defeated
The House voted on the Bishop of Michigan's amendment.
Motion defeated
Amendment defeated
The House voted on the Committee's substitute resolution. A tabulation of the yes and no votes was called for by the Bishops of Texas, New York, and Alabama.
Bishops who voted Yes -138
Bishop Gordon
The Bishop of Upper South Carolina
Bishop Gibson
The Bishop of Connecticut
Bishop Burrill
Bishop David Lewis
Bishop Harte
The Bishop of North Dakota
The Bishop of East Tennessee
The Bishop Suffragan of Central and South Mexico, Bishop Huerta-Ramos
Bishop Montgomery
Bishop Putnam
The Bishop of Kentucky
The Bishop of Eastern Oregon
Bishop Davidson
The Bishop of Fond du Lac
The Bishop of Colorado
The Bishop of Texas
Bishop Appleyard
The Bishop of Arkansas
The Bishop of San Joaquin
The Bishop of South Carolina
Bishop Leighton
The Bishop of Eau Claire
Bishop Haynsworth
The Bishop of El Camino Real
Bishop Atkins
The Bishop of Central Pennsylvania
Bishop Philip Smith
The Bishop of Northwest Texas
The Bishop of Central Florida
The Bishop Suffragan of Colorado
The Bishop Suffragan for the American Churches in Europe
The Bishop of the Central Gulf Coast
The Bishop of Western Kansas
The Bishop of Kansas
Bishop Stewart
The Bishop of Alaska
The Bishop of Alabama
The Bishop of Pittsburgh
Bishop Krumm
The Bishop of Western Mexico
The Bishop of Haiti
Bishop Hastings
The Bishop of West Missouri
The Bishop of Springfield
The Bishop of Western Louisiana
The Bishop of Maryland
Bishop Charles
The Bishop of Idaho
Bishop Shirley
The Bishop of Northern Michigan
Bishop Sims
The Bishop Suffragan of Texas
The Bishop of the Dominican Republic
The Bishop of San Diego
Bishop Sheridan
The Bishop of Bethlehem
Bishop Primo
The Bishop of West Tennessee
Bishop Cox
The Bishop of Ohio
Bishop Carral
The Bishop of Dallas
The Bishop of West Virginia
The Bishop of Northern Philippines
The Bishop of Western North Carolina
The Bishop of Georgia
Bishop Parsons
The Bishop of Panama
The Bishop of Northwestern Pennsylvania
The Bishop Suffragan of New Jersey
Bishop Bigliardi
The Bishop of Albany
The Bishop of Western Massachusetts
Bishop Wolterstorff
The Bishop of Mississippi
The Bishop of Rochester
The Bishop of Florida
The Bishop of Virginia
The Bishop of Long Island
The Bishop of Milwaukee
The Bishop of Missouri
The Bishop of Maine
Bishop Clark
The Bishop of Lexington
The Bishop of Olympia
Bishop Meeks
The Bishop of Louisiana
The Bishop of Fort Worth
The Bishop of Southern Virginia
The Bishop of Nicaragua
The Bishop of Newark
The Bishop of Chicago
The Bishop Suffragan of Upper South Carolina
The Bishop of Arizona
The Bishop Suffragan of North Carolina
The Bishop of Nebraska
The Bishop of Oklahoma
The Bishop Suffragan of Los Angeles
The Bishop Suffragan of West Virginia
The Bishop of Indianapolis
The Bishop of Wyoming
The Bishop of Tennessee
The Bishop of Minnesota
The Bishop of Oregon
The Bishop of Atlanta
The Bishop of West Texas
The Bishop Suffragan for the Armed Forces
The Bishop of Montana
The Bishop of Northern California
The Bishop of Pennsylvania
The Bishop of Spokane
The Bishop of New Hampshire
The Bishop of Southeast Florida
The Bishop of Vermont\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
The Bishop of Southwestern Virginia
The Bishop of Southern Philippines
The Bishop of Colombia
The Bishop Suffragan of Alabama
Bishop Hauser
The Bishop of Nevada
The Bishop of Western New York
The Bishop Suffragan of Connecticut, Bishop Rowthorn
The Bishop Suffragan of Ohio
The Bishop Suffragan of Washington
The Bishop Suffragan of West Texas
The Bishop of Northern Indiana
The Bishop of Quincy
The Bishop of Delaware
The Bishop Coadjutor of Oklahoma
The Bishop of Hawaii
The Bishop of Taiwan
The Bishop Coadjutor of Atlanta
The Bishop of Litoral
The Bishop of the Virgin Islands
The Bishop of Los Angeles
The Bishop of Northern Mexico
Bishops who voted No -28
Bishop Welles
The Bishop of East Carolina
Bishop Ogilby
The Bishop of Southern Ohio
Bishop Fraser
The Bishop of North Carolina
The Bishop of New York
The Bishop of Rhode Island
Bishop Bailey
The Bishop of Central New York
Bishop Burt
The Bishop Suffragan of Connecticut, Bishop Coleridge
The Bishop of Ecuador
The Bishop of Washington
The Bishop of Guatemala
The Bishop of Michigan
The Bishop of Easton
The Bishop of Iowa
The Bishop of Honduras
The Bishop of New Jersey
The Bishop of South Dakota
The Bishop Suffragan of Michigan
The Bishop Suffragan of Central and South Mexico, Bishop Garcia-Montiel
The Bishop of Central Philippines
The Bishop of California
The Bishop of Massachusetts
The Bishop Suffragan of New York
The Bishop Coadjutor of Long Island
Bishops who abstained -5
Bishop Richards
Bishop Burgess
The Bishop of Central and South Mexico
The Presiding Bishop
Bishop Rose
Bishops who were absent at the vote -2
The Bishop of Northern Luzon
The Bishop Suffragan of Long Island
Motion carried
Substitute resolution adopted
(Communicated to the House of Deputies in HB Message #67)
House of Deputies
[On the sixth day] the Committee on Dispatch of Business presented its Report #22, moving that there be a Special Order of Business at 2:00 p.m. on July 7 for the purpose of considering and taking action on House of Bishops Messages #67 and #68 on Resolutions B022s and B23s respectively.
Motion carried
Special Order adopted
The Committee on Dispatch of Business presented its Report #18 calling for special rules of debate on B022s and B023s and moved adoption with amendment, the amendment being in Rule 1 to allow the Committee on Ministry ten minutes rather than five to make its initial presentation on each motion for concurrence.
Motion carried
Rules of Debate adopted with amendment
[Later that day] the Committee on Ministry presented its Report #25 on House of Bishops Message #67 on Resolution B022s (Episcopal Visitors) and moved concurrence.
The President opened the floor to questions.
The floor was then opened to amendments and substitutes.
Deputy Pollock of Washington moved a substitution.
Proposed Substitute:
Substitute the Minority Report #27 of the Committee on Ministry.
Before the Preamble add the following: "Resolved, the House of Deputies concurring, That this 69th General Convention affirm that since. . ."
Substitute the words "and be it further Resolved" for the introductory Resolved clause.
At the request of the Dioceses of Maryland, Fond du Lac, and Eau Claire, the President announced that all voting on B022s would be by orders.
Deputy Wittlinger of Michigan moved to suspend the rules and add ten minutes to the debate time.
Motion carried by a two-thirds majority
Debate time extended
Deputy Wittlinger of Michigan moved to amend B022s.
Proposed Amendment:
Add the words "Resolved, That since" at the beginning of the main motion.
Deputy Malottke of Springfield moved to amend B022s.
Proposed Amendment:
Delete numbered section 4.
A motion was made to suspend the rules to extend time for amendments.
With consent of the movers, the Chair stated that the votes by orders would not apply to amendments.
Motion defeated
A vote was taken on the Wittlinger amendment.
Motion carried
Amendment adopted
A vote was taken on the Malottke amendment.
Motion defeated
Amendment defeated
Ballot #1 was taken on the Minority Report #27 substitute for B022s by orders.
The Secretary announced the results of Ballot #1 on substitute resolution for B022s.
| Lay: | Yes--45 | No--49 | Divided--22 | |||
| Clerical: | Yes--51 | No--54 | Divided--11 |
Motion defeated
Substitute Resolution defeated
Deputy Beers of Washington requested division of the two Resolveds of B022s as a matter of right.
The Chair ruled against division.
Deputy Beers appealed the ruling, and the ruling was upheld by a vote of the House.
Deputy Beers then moved to divide the two Resolves of B022s.
Motion defeated
Debate followed on B022s as amended.
Deputy Rushing of Massachusetts moved to suspend the rules to extend debate another ten minutes.
Motion defeated
The lay deputation of Massachusetts, and the deputations of New York, Connecticut and Newark requested a vote on B022s, as amended, by orders.
Ballot #2 by orders was taken on B022s as amended.
Deputy Todd of West Texas moved to suspend the rules requiring the reading of the "no" and "divided" votes in each order when announcing the results of the vote on B022s.
Motion defeated
The Secretary verified the "no" and "divided" votes on Ballot #2 on B022s as amended.
The Credentials Committee was asked to certify the verified vote.
The Secretary read the totals on each ballot by order.
Ballot #1:
| Lay: | Yes--45 | No--49 | Divided--22 | |||
| Clerical: | Yes--51 | No--54 | Divided--11 |
Motion defeated
Substitution resolution for B022s defeated
Ballot #2:
| Lay: | Yes--60 | No--40 | Divided--16 | |||
| Clerical: | Yes--62 | No--38 | Divided--16 |
Motion carried
The House concurred with HB Message #67 on B022s with amendment.
The House concurred with amendment
(Communicated to the House of Bishops in HD Message #184)
House of Bishops
The Committee on Ministry reported on House of Deputies Message #184 and moved concurrence with that House on Resolution B022s (Episcopal Visitors) as amended by the House of Deputies.
The House concurred
(Communicated to the House of Deputies in HB Message #258)
Resolution Concurred by Both Houses, July 8.
| Abstract: | The 69th General Convention recognizes the need for a period of transition in the incorporation of women into all ordained ministries and authorizes the Presiding Bishop to designate Episcopal Visitors to provide episcopal sacramental acts for congregations upon request. |
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