Presiding Bishop deposes bishops

From Religious Intelligence-

US Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has deposed two more retired American bishops, announcing on June 12 that she had accepted the voluntary renunciation of ministry of the retired Bishop of Quincy the Rt Rev Edward MacBurney and the retired Bishop of Southern Virginia the Rt Rev David Bane.

However, the two bishops have stated they have not renounced their orders, but were being accepted into the House of Bishops of the Province of the Southern Cone under Presiding Bishop Gregory Venables.

A press release from the presiding bishop’s office said the two bishops were “being removed from ordained ministry in the Episcopal Church 'for causes which do not affect (their) moral character,' " the release said, citing the words of the church's voluntary renunciation canon.” The release noted this action did not purport to defrock the two bishops and would not affect their ecclesial standing in other provinces of the Anglican Communion.

Bishop Jefferts Schori’s use of the voluntary renunciation canon has come under sharp criticism from canonical scholars such as the Anglican Communion Institute (ACI), who have argued the canons do not permit the presiding bishop to act in the way she has.

However, the Presiding Bishop said her decision had the “full support of her Council of Advice” of bishops.

Bishop Bane presently serves as an honorary assistant bishop of the Diocese of Pittsburgh under Bishop Robert Duncan, while Bishop MacBurney is retired from active ministry.

Since her election in 2006, Bishop Jefferts Schori has overseen the departure of 13 US bishops — four of whom were received into the Roman Catholic Church and nine to Anglican provinces in the Global South.

http://www.religiousintelligence.co.uk/news/?NewsID=4618

61 priests in San Joaquin Valley dropped by Episcopal diocese

The Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin on Wednesday deposed 61 clergy from Lodi to Bakersfield because they have left the national Episcopal Church and aligned themselves with the worldwide Anglican Communion.

Episcopal Bishop Jerry Lamb, who called the action "heartbreaking," said from his Stockton headquarters that such clergy will have their retirement assets frozen and no longer can participate as Episcopal priests. But, he added, "this action is not taken for any ethical or moral concerns."

The news didn't seem to matter to the priests, who now are under Anglican oversight.

"Really, this doesn't impact us," said the Rev. Michael McClenaghan of St. Paul's Church in Modesto, who hadn't yet received word of his deposition Wednesday afternoon. "We have been transferred to either the Southern Cone (in South America) or in our case, Anglican Missions through Rwanda. So we're still priests."

The 61 deposed priests are from parishes that have followed Bishop John-David Schofield as he led the country's first diocese to leave the Episcopal Church in December 2007 over issues related to the interpretation of Scripture, including acknowledging Jesus as the only way to heaven and opposing the ordination of gay clergy. Such parishes include St. Matthias in Oakdale, St. Luke's in Merced and the historic Red Church in Sonora, St. James.

More here-

http://www.modbee.com/life/faithvalues/story/720706.html

California Clerics Ousted for Leaving Episcopal Church

Religious News Service article on the depositions in San Joaquin. Abandon Communion !

An Episcopal Church committee voted Friday (Oct. 17) to oust more than 50 California clerics who left the denomination last year to join a more conservative province in the Anglican Communion. The 16 deacons and 36 priests have six months to recant and return to the Episcopal Church before they are defrocked by Bishop Jerry Lamb of the Fresno-based Diocese of San Joaquin, according to Episcopal News Service. Charged with "abandoning" the Episcopal Church, the 52 deacons and priests would no longer be allowed to function as Episcopal clergy. Diocesan spokeswoman Nancy Key said two clergy have decided to rejoin the Episcopal Church since the committee began considering charges against them.

http://blog.beliefnet.com/news/2008/10/california-clerics-ousted-for.php

The Art of Abandoning Hope

Dan Martins from San Joaquin (actually Stockton) reflects on the current House of Bishop's decision.

I am also sad and angry—well, mystified might be a more accurate term—at the tunnel vision of the HOB majority. It is actually doing harm to their own cause. Before they took on the Duncan matter, our bishops took some time to bask in the afterglow of the Lambeth Conference, wherein they made lots of new friends and reached deeper levels of mutual understanding with their episcopal peers from other provinces. So it is incredible to me that they cannot see how their action in deposing Bishop Duncan is likely to be interpreted abroad as a pre-emptive purge of an annoying colleague, convicting a man for what he thinks and plans rather than for what he has done (shades of the film Minority Report), yet another example of TEC's "progressive" juggernaut steamrolling all opposition. Even a lowly parish priest in a backwater small town such as myself knows the truth of the maxim "Perception is reality." How can our purple-shirted friends be so clueless?

http://cariocaconfessions.blogspot.com/2008/09/on-art-of-abandoning-hope.html

Bishop Duncan Formally Deposed

Bishop Duncan received formal word today that the Presiding Bishop had issued letter of Deposition. The Text of the letter to the Bishop follows.

The Episcopal Church
The Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori
Presiding Bishop and Primate

September 22, 2008

Robert W. Duncan
125 N. Linden Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15208

Dear Bob,

I wanted to write you personally to inform you that following the House of Bishop’s decision to consent to your deposition, of which you are already aware, I have signed the Sentence of Deposition, a copy of which is enclosed.

I think the press statement following the vote accurately sets forth the prayerful and thoughtful atmosphere of the discussions.

Please know that I urged the bishops gathered to hold you in prayer, and to do what they can to maintain a pastoral relationship with you. I pray that you may know the peace of Jesus Christ, and I remain

Your servant in Christ,


Katharine Jefferts Schori

Actual Deposition is here-

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/documents/Duncan.Robert.9.19.08.pdf

The Across the Aisle press release is here

http://www.episcopalunity.org/ata/pr2008-09-22.htm

Post Deposition News Conference

From the blog "Episcopal Cafe."

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schroi and three other bishops held a brief and lightly-subscribed telephone press conference this afternoon which produced two significant pieces of news:

First: “The Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh will not go away,” said Jefferts Schori, even if the diocesan convention votes to secede from the Episcopal Church and join the Anglican Province of the Southern cone.

She said one member of the diocesan standing committee, (the Rev. Jim Simons—although she did not name him) will remain in the Episcopal Church. She said she anticipates that Simons will “reconstitute the Standing Committee” and that it would become the new ecclesiastical authority in the diocese.

http://www.episcopalcafe.com/lead/bishops/the_postdeposition_news_confer.html

How the Bishops voted in Salt Lake

Here's the link to the minutes of the House of Bishop's meeting this week along with the roll-call vote results from the deposition.

http://www.ecusa.anglican.org/documents/House_of_Bishops_Business_Meeting_Minutes-_Salt_Lake.pdf

Today's (Saturday) Stories on the Deposition and reorganization of the Diocese

From the Post Gazette -

Amid reaction to the removal of Episcopal Bishop Robert Duncan of Pittsburgh from ministry, the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church praised plans by some local Episcopalians to remain with the Episcopal Church even if the majority of the diocese votes to secede and join an Anglican province in South America.

"Our understanding is that the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh will not go away, even if the convention takes a canonically inappropriate vote to secede," Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori said in a teleconference yesterday.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08264/913713-85.stm

The Tribune Review (Note the Standing Committee has eight members four lay and four ordained)

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_589185.html

London Telegraph

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/2990900/Bishop-of-Pittsburgh-deposed-by-Episcopal-Church-for-abandoning-communion.html

London Times

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article4790615.ece