'Defense of Marriage' Concern Will Get Further Review

From The Living Church-

During the final business session of General Convention on July 17, the House of Bishops turned back Resolution C023: Same-Sex Unions—Defense of Marriage Statutes, voting to refer the resolution to a standing committee of The Episcopal Church in the final legislative act at the Anaheim Convention Center.

The Rt. Rev. John B. Chane, Bishop of Washington, presented the resolution on behalf of the National and International Concerns Committee, urging concurrence with the House of Deputies in endorsing the resolution.

However, during the bishops’ private table groups, concerns were raised over the entanglement of the church in the political arena. The resolution calls upon “all Episcopalians to work against the passage of so-called ‘Defense of Marriage’ state statutes and state constitutional amendments, and, in states where such statutes or constitutional amendments already exist, to work for their repeal.”

The Bishop of Oklahoma, the Rt. Rev. Edward J. Konieczny, told the house he was concerned by the call for “all Episcopalians” to agitate for the repeal of the laws. He questioned the wisdom of having the church direct its members on such a divisive political issue.

Bishop Porter Taylor of Western North Carolina asked that the resolution be sent to a committee for review over the next triennium. No debate was held and it passed on a voice vote with minimum opposition.


The House of Deputies then received the resolution, and in the last legislative act of the convention, concurred with the bishops’ request, prompting the president of the house, Bonnie Anderson, to note this was the first convention in her memory that ended early with all outstanding legislative matters addressed.

http://www.livingchurch.org/news/news-updates/2009/7/17/defense-of-marriage-concern-will-get-further-review