ECUADOR CENTRAL: Convention authorizes House of Bishops to elect diocesan bishop
Episcopal News Service. February 17, 2009 [021709-04]
Pat McCaughan
[Editor's note: This article has been updated to include information about the Rev. Thomas Mansella's February 16 decision to reinstate his name to the slate of candidates for the next bishop of the Diocese of Ecuador Central.]
Delegates attending the annual convention of the Diocese of Ecuador Central on February 14 in Quito narrowly approved a resolution authorizing the Episcopal Church's House of Bishops to elect their next bishop.
"It was a movement towards health and wholeness in the diocese. Most people were pleased with the final outcome because it was the fruit of their decision-making in a democratic fashion that they were not used to," said Bishop Wilfrido Ramos-Orench, who has served as provisional bishop since 2006.
About 36 lay and clergy delegates voted at the meeting, with Ramos casting the deciding ballot. He described the meeting as "difficult and productive." Delegates also approved a new companion relationship with the Diocese of New Jersey and celebrated the 20th anniversaries of the ordinations of the first two female priests in the diocese.
Ramos in February 2008 had announced plans to retire and called for the election of a successor. When that election stalled "because of internal reasons" late last year he began the process to refer the election to the House of Bishops.
House of Bishops to elect next bishop at March meeting
The bishops, who are scheduled to meet March 13-18 in Hendersonville, North Carolina, will have an opportunity to interview candidates from a slate of at least four, according to Bishop Clayton Matthews, executive director of the Presiding Bishop's Office of Pastoral Development at Church Center in New York.
"The process worked beautifully up to a certain point" and then stalled, Matthews said, adding that "it happens if there are unspoken expectations." Bishops are scheduled to meet and greet the candidates during a March 16 walkabout and vote over the next two days. "It will be a simple majority vote and all bishops entitled to vote will vote, not just bishops with jurisdiction," he said.
The list of candidates includes: the Rev. Rosalí Fernández Pola, vicar of Misión San Mateo Apóstol y Evangelista, Peñuelas, Puerto Rico; the Very Rev. Ashton Jacinto Brooks, dean of All Saints Cathedral on St. Thomas, Virgin Islands; the Rev. Luis Fernando Ruiz, rector Parroquia de San Pedro, Bogota, Colombia; the Rev. Dr. Carlos Sandovol, rector of St. Simon's Church, Miami in the Diocese of Southeast Florida; and the Rev. Thomas Mansella, translation services coordinator for the Office of Communications of The Episcopal Church. Mansella withdrew his name from the slate of candidates, but reconsidered that decision and on February 16 his name was reinstated.
The election stalled when the final list of candidates "all happened to be from outside the diocese," Ramos recalled. "Some people felt that they (Ecuadorans) had been intentionally excluded. It was not the case at all, but that was how it was interpreted."
The list of candidates to be voted upon in March is the same as that announced last October.
The election had been scheduled for December 20, but Ramos cancelled the election and began the process to refer the matter to the House of Bishops. "The canons provide that when a missionary diocese isn't able to have an election they can request that the bishops of the province or the House of Bishops proceed with it. So that is what we are using at this moment" while the diocese is in the process of healing and restoration, he said.
Honoring the search committee's work is important, he added. "They did a fine job; the quality of the candidates is excellent. If the House of Bishops wants to expand it (the slate) it's up to them, but if any of the candidates are elected I would feel very good about them."
Matthews said it is doubtful that additional nominations will be made during the meeting because "any election would be held up doing background checks." The new bishop would be consecrated sometime after General Convention in July, where the election would need to obtain consent, he added.
Diocese celebrates outreach, eyes self-sufficiency
The convention also included a celebration of diocesan ministries and vitality, and the 20th anniversaries of the ordinations of the Rev. Heidee Mantilla and the Rev. Gladis Vázquez, the first women ordained in the diocese, according to Ramos.
"We had a delegation of six people from the Diocese of New Jersey," Ramos added. Delegates approved a companion relationship with New Jersey and "it is anticipated they will do likewise in their coming convention," he said.
The diocese's 28 congregations are vibrant and expanding, with great potential, said Ramos. "We are reaching out to the indigenous communities, who have been very receptive to our presence. We are starting Christian education programs that have many students and there are many new vocations emerging. We have a lot of children and young people in the diocese. There is good energy and vitality."
Six upcoming ordinations are planned, and the missionary diocese has an eventual goal of self-sufficiency, he added. "We are very thankful for the support of the Episcopal Church. In many ways, they made it possible for this ministry to be continued. The diocese is beginning to look into possibilities for becoming a self-supporting entity.
"We are looking at resources, a long-range plan to support our ministries," he added. "Hopefully, as we develop stewardship and resources, we can move in that direction and be more supportive to the ministries of the church in all jurisdictions."
The House of Bishops established the Missionary District of Ecuador on Oct. 27, 1966. It became the Diocese of Ecuador on Jan. 1, 1980. The General Convention of 1985 voted to divide it, establishing the Central Diocese of Ecuador, which is the continuation of the Diocese of Ecuador, and the new Litoral Diocese of Ecuador.
In June 2006, the House of Bishops appointed Ramos provisional bishop of the diocese, which has approximately 20 clergy and represents about 3,000 communicants. Formerly the bishop suffragan of the Diocese of Connecticut and native of Puerto Rico, Ramos succeeded Neptali Larrea Moreno who was deposed in March 2004. Moreno was found to have abandoned the communion of the Episcopal Church amid complaints of financial irregularities.
Ramos said he has enjoyed his ministry in Ecuador. "There have been many challenges, but it has been a good ministry. I will be 69 in May and so we are going back to Puerto Rico or perhaps Connecticut and serve the church in some form."