House of Bishops
of The Episcopal Church
September 25, 2007
A Response to
Questions and Concerns Raised by our Anglican Communion Partners
In accordance with Our
Lord's high priestly prayer that we be one, and in the spirit of Resolution
A159 of the 75th General Convention, and in obedience to his Great Commission
to go into the world and make disciples, and in gratitude for the gift of the
Anglican Communion as a sign of the Holy Spirit's ongoing work of
reconciliation throughout the world, we offer the following to the Episcopal
Church, the Primates, the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC), and the larger
Communion, with the hope of "mending the tear in the fabric" of our
common life in Christ.
"I do it all for the
sake of the Gospel so that I might share in its blessings." 1 Corinthians
9:23
Introduction
The House of Bishops
expresses sincere and heartfelt thanks to the Archbishop of
Much of our meeting time
was spent in continuing discernment of our relationships within the Anglican
Communion. We engaged in careful listening and straightforward dialogue with
our guests. We expressed our passionate desire to remain in communion. It is
our conviction that The Episcopal Church needs the Anglican Communion, and we
heard from our guests that the Anglican Communion needs The Episcopal Church.
The House of Bishops
offers the following responses to our Anglican Communion partners. We believe
they provide clarity and point toward next steps in an ongoing process of
dialogue. Within The Episcopal Church the common discernment of God's call is a
lively partnership among laypersons, bishops, priests, and deacons, and
therefore necessarily includes the Presiding Bishop, the Executive Council, and
the General Convention.
Summary
Discussion
Resolution B033 of the
2006 General Convention
The House of Bishops
concurs with Resolution EC011 of the Executive Council. This Resolution
commends the Report of the Communion Sub-Group of the Joint Standing Committee
of the Anglican Consultative Council and the Primates of the Anglican Communion
as an accurate evaluation of Resolution B033 of the 2006 General Convention,
calling upon bishops with jurisdiction and Standing Committees "to
exercise restraint by not consenting to the consecration of any candidate to
the episcopate whose manner of life presents a challenge to the wider church
and will lead to further strains on communion." The House acknowledges
that non-celibate gay and lesbian persons are included among those to whom B033
pertains.
Blessing of Same-Sex
Unions
We, the members of the
House of Bishops, pledge not to authorize for use in our dioceses any public
rites of blessing of same-sex unions until a broader consensus emerges in the
Communion, or until General Convention takes further action. In the near future
we hope to be able to draw upon the benefits of the Communion-wide listening
process. In the meantime, it is important to note that no rite of blessing for
persons living in same-sex unions has been adopted or approved by our General
Convention. In addition to not having authorized
liturgies the majority of bishops do not make allowance for the blessing of
same-sex unions. We do note that in May 2003 the Primates said we have a
pastoral duty "to respond with love and understanding to people of all
sexual orientations." They further stated, "...[I]t
is necessary to maintain a breadth of private response to situations of
individual pastoral care."
Episcopal Visitors
We affirm the Presiding
Bishop's plan to appoint episcopal visitors for
dioceses that request alternative oversight. Such oversight would be provided
by bishops who are a part of and subject to the communal life of this province.
We believe this plan is consistent with and analogous to Delegated Episcopal
Pastoral Oversight (DEPO) as affirmed by the Windsor Report (paragraph 152). We
thank those bishops who have generously offered themselves for this ministry.
We hope that dioceses will make use of this plan and that the Presiding Bishop
will continue conversation with those dioceses that may feel the need for such
ministries. We appreciate and need to hear all voices in The Episcopal Church.
Incursions by
Uninvited Bishops
We call for an immediate
end to diocesan incursions by uninvited bishops in accordance with the Windsor
Report and consistent with the statements of past Lambeth
Conferences and the Ecumenical Councils of the Church. Such incursions imperil
common prayer and long-established ecclesial principles of our Communion. These
principles include respect for local jurisdiction and recognition of the
geographical boundaries of dioceses and provinces. As we continue to commit
ourselves to honor both the spirit and the content of the Windsor Report, we
call upon those provinces and bishops engaging in such incursions likewise to
honor the Windsor Report by ending them. We offer assurance that delegated episcopal pastoral care is being provided for those who
seek it.
Communion-wide Consultation
In their communiqué of
February 2007, the Primates proposed a "pastoral scheme." At our
meeting in March 2007, we expressed our deep concern that this scheme would
compromise the authority of our own primate and place the autonomy of The
Episcopal Church at risk. The Executive Council reiterate
our concerns and declined to participate. Nevertheless we recognize a useful
role for communion-wide consultation with respect to the pastoral needs of
those seeking alternative oversight, as well as the pastoral needs of gay and
lesbian persons in this and other provinces. We encourage our Presiding Bishop
to continue to explore such consultation in a manner that is in accord with our
Constitution and Canons.
The Listening Process
The 1998 Lambeth Conference called all the provinces of the Anglican
Communion to engage in a "listening process" designed to bring gay
and lesbian Anglicans fully into the church's conversation about sexuality. We
look forward to receiving initial reports about this process at the 2008 Lambeth Conference, and to participating with others in
this crucial enterprise. We are aware that in some cultural contexts,
conversation concerning homosexuality is difficult. We see an important role
for the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) in this listening process, since it
represents both the lay and ordained members of our constituent churches and so
is well placed to engage every part of the body in this conversation. We
encourage the ACC to identify the variety of resources needed to accomplish
these conversations.
The Lambeth Conference
Invitations to the Lambeth Conference are extended by the Archbishop of
Canterbury. Those among us who have received an invitation to attend the 2008 Lambeth Conference look forward to that gathering with hope
and expectation. Many of us are engaged in mission partnerships with bishops
and dioceses around the world and cherish these relationships. Lambeth offers a wonderful opportunity to build on such
partnerships.
We are mindful that the
Bishop of New Hampshire has not yet received an invitation to the conference.
We also note that the Archbishop of Canterbury has expressed a desire to
explore a way for him to participate. We share the Archbishop's desire and
encourage our Presiding Bishop to offer our assistance as bishops in this
endeavor. It is our fervent hope that a way can be found for his full
participation.
Justice and Dignity
for Gay and Lesbian Persons
It is of fundamental
importance that, as we continue to seek consensus in matters of human sexuality,
we also be clear and outspoken in our shared commitment to establish and
protect the civil rights of gay and lesbian persons, and to name and oppose at
every turn any action or policy that does violence to them, encourages violence
towards them, or violates their dignity as children of God. We call all our
partners in the Anglican Communion to recommit to this effort. As we stated at
the conclusion of our meeting in March 2007: "We proclaim the Gospel of
what God has done and is doing in Christ, of the dignity of every human being,
and of justice, compassion and peace. We proclaim the Gospel that in Christ
there is no Jew or Greek, no male or female, no slave or free. We proclaim the
Gospel that in Christ all God's children, including women, are full and equal
participants in the life of Christ's Church. We proclaim the Gospel that in
Christ all God's children including gay and lesbian persons, are full and equal
participants in the life of Christ's Church. We proclaim the Gospel that stands
against any violence, including violence done to women and children as well as
those who are persecutive because of their
differences, often in the name of God."