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Presiding Bishop recognizes non-realigning Pittsburgh Episcopalians

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has acknowledged the Standing Committee headed by the the Rev. James Simons, the only member of the Standing Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh remaining in The Episcopal Church, as the legitimate ecclesiastical authority in the Episcopal Church’s Diocese of Pittsburgh.

The move followed requests by Simons that the other people who had been on the diocese’s Standing Committee clarify their intentions with respect to Episcopal Church membership in the aftermath of the “realignment” vote taken at the October 4 diocesan convention.

So Simons explains in a post on the former Across the Aisle site, which has been re-branded as the Web home of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh of The Episcopal Church in the United States of America. Simons was called Wednesday afternoon by the Rev. David Wilson, former president of the Standing Committee. Wilson informed him that the other seven former members of the Standing Committee were about to vote to remove Simons from the committee. The explanation for the action was that Simons had not accepted his Southern Cone credentials and because his parish, St. Michael’s of the Valley, Ligonier, had declared that it would stay in The Episcopal Church.

Once Simons confirmed that he was the sole member of the Standing Committee, he appointed, as is authorized by diocesan canon, two additional members to the committee. The new Standing Committee members are Ms. Mary Roehrich, of St. Andrew’s, Highland Park, and the Rev. Jeff Murph, of St. Thomas’, Oakmont.

These events were communicated to the Presiding Bishop’s office, and today, October 9, the Presiding Bishop recognized the three-person Standing Committee as the ecclesiastical authority in the diocese. Additional information is available in the aforementioned post. The letter sent to Wilson and similar to the letters sent to other former Standing Committee members can be found here.

A press release by the diocese can be read here. According to the Press release, the diocese will hold an informational meeting at Trinity Cathedral on October 16 and will hold a special convention on December 13.

The new diocesan Web site can be accessed at http://episcopalpgh.org.

News for Week Ending 10/6/2008

Pittsburgh diocese votes to ‘realign’

As was widely expected, the convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh voted to “realign” at its October 4, 2008, convention at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Monroeville, Pa. The constitutional and canonical changes approved by wide margins by convention deputies were intended to remove the Diocese of Pittsburgh from The Episcopal Church and to move it, in toto, into the Anglican Church of the Southern Cone.

News coverage of the convention vote and its significance has been extensive, and it would be redundant to review all of it here. As usual, “Thinking Anglicans” has done a fine job of collecting links to relevant news coverage, and readers are directed to these posts on that site to access the many available stories:

press reports on Pittsburgh secession
Pittsburgh votes today

As is often the case, many stories from respectable news outlets got details wrong, both because Episcopal Church polity is complex and because the strategies being carried out by the various players are complex. Ann Rodgers’ story “Episcopal diocese chooses to secede” in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is particularly notable for its fairness and accuracy.

We will try to describe the situation in the aftermath of the convention votes. The Standing Committee that was the ecclesiastical authority in the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh has effectively split into two Standing Committees: one, consisting of seven members (apparently) claiming to be the ecclesiastical authority of the same diocese that entered the convention, which is now claiming to be a diocese of the Southern Cone, although the Southern Cone constitution does not permit any diocese outside the bounds of five South American countries; another, consisting of a single person, the Rev. Jim Simons, claiming the same authority over the same diocese in The Episcopal Church. This situation reflects the understanding of one side that the diocese and its leaders were prevented from making the proposed changes by the canon law of the church and diocese, as well as vows taken by the clergy, whereas the other side does not acknowledge the effectiveness of such constraints.

For now, the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh (S)—referring to those who claim to have seceded from The Episcopal Church—largely controls diocesan assets and maintains the Web site at http://pitanglican.org. Though technically run by the seven-member Standing Committee, the deposed Bishop Robert Duncan is employed by this diocese as a “consultant.” He has also been designated as a “Commissary” by the Southern Cone, with the authority to make episcopal visits to congregations. Bishop Henry Scriven is also working as a “consultant,” but he will be leaving Pittsburgh in December (see Pittsburgh Update story here).

Informally, the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh (TEC) is represented by Across the Aisle, whose steering committee is led by the same Jim Simons who is the only loyal Episcopalian left on the former Standing Committee. It is expected that The Episcopal Church will soon recognize Simons as the one-person Standing Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh (TEC).

Each Diocese of Pittsburgh intends to elect a bishop soon. The “realigned” diocese will do so at a convention in November, and the Episcopal Church diocese will do so somewhat later, perhaps in early December. The realigned diocese expects to elect Bishop Duncan as its bishop, whereas the Episcopal Church diocese will likely elect some sort of temporary bishop whose identity has yet to be determined.

Each side is offering advice to parishes. The “realigned” diocese distributed a glossy brochure at the end of the convention titled “Realignment Realities: What You Need to Know.” It can be seen here. Across the Aisle, on the other hand, has offered “FAQs for Parishes” on its Web site here.

Bennison deposition recommended

Episcopal News Service reported October 3, 2008, that the ecclesiastical court that earlier found Bishop of Pennsylvania Charles E. Bennison guilty of conduct unbecoming a member of the clergy has now recommended his deposition. (See Pittsburgh Update story here.) Bennison’s attorneys have indicated that both the sentence and the conviction will be appealed.

Church apologizies for slavery, segregation, discrimination

Both Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and President of the House of Deputies Bonnie Anderson were present for a two-day “Day of Repentance” event in Philadelphia October 3–4. The Presiding Bishop made a public apology for the role the church played in the slave trade, segregation, and discrimination.

The event was held at St. Thomas African Episcopal Church, the church founded in 1792 by the Rev. Absalom Jones, a former slave. Seventeen bishops participated in the event, including the recently consecrated Bishop of Maryland, the Rt. Rev. Eugene Sutton, the first African-American bishop of that diocese.

The Episcopal News Service story of the event can be read here.

Editorial Note

Editorial Note on Our Point of View

On March 30, 2008, Pittsburgh Update set forth its editorial policy, pledging objectivity, but acknowledging the inherent subjectivity in that notion. (That initial Pittsburgh Update post can be read here.) Circumstances now require a clarification of that editorial policy.

On Saturday, October 4, 2008, at it annual convention, the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh voted to “realign,” to leave The Episcopal Church and join the Anglican Church of the Southern Cone. This dramatic action complicates reporting on events in Pittsburgh in a number of ways. We are now presented with two mutually exclusive views of what has happened and what may happen.

For a start, the leaders of “realignment” claim to represent “The Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh,” but those who opposed “realignment” also claim to represent “The Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh.” Reporting was simpler when a similar split occurred in San Joaquin; we now have an Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin and an Anglican Diocese of San Joaquin.

In fact, Pittsburgh is likely to have two “dioceses” making quite different claims about legal and canonical “facts,” and it is not at all clear how best to report them. Pittsburgh Update has always been opposed to schism and therefore identifies with The Episcopal Church. It was a product of Across the Aisle before Across the Aisle had a name. In this sense, nothing has changed.

We will continue to attempt to be objective, but we will maintain a stronger commitment to truth, as best as we can identify it. In any case, we want to clarify that our perspective reflects the continuing presence of The Episcopal Church in Southwestern Pennsylvania.

News for Week Ending 9/29/2008

Virginia diocese sharpens legal strategy as court date looms

Litigation instigated by 11 Diocese of Virginia congregations that are now part of the Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA) returns to court on October 6, 2008. (The most recent Pittsburgh Update story on this litigation can be found here.) The parties will now argue specifically about the disposition of property. The Diocese of Virginia has indicated that it will try to limit the property covered by Virginia’s controversial “Division Statute.” which it believes to violate the First Amendment. It has also dropped its objections to the votes by which congregations decided to leave The Episcopal Church. These moves are described on the diocese’s Web site here. A CANA statement on the decision not to contest the voting by the departing congregations can be read here.

The diocese has also reached a settlement with two missions that hold no real property, Potomac Falls Church, Sterling, Va., and Christ the Redeemer Church, Centreville, Va. The CANA statement describes this development as well, and the diocese has a statement that can be read here.

The diocese plans to appeal the application of Virginia’s Division Statute.

Pittsburgh convention votes on realignment Saturday

The diocesan convention, meeting at St. Martin’s, Monroeville, on October 4, will vote whether it should leave The Episcopal Church and become a part of the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette published a story September 28 describing what happened in the Diocese of San Joaquin in the wake of its vote for realignment. There are, however, both differences and similarities in the Pittsburgh and San Joaquin situations.

The Pre-Convention Journal provided to convention deputies can be found as a PDF here.

News for Week Ending 9/22/2008

Welsh bishops to care for oppponents of women’s ordination without special bishop

Meeting as part of the semiannual gathering of the governing body of the Church in Wales, on September 17–18, the bishops of the Church in Wales announced that they would not replace Bishop David Thomas, who had been appointed in 1996 as Provincial Assistant Bishop, with his major charge those who could not accept women’s ordination. The bishops stressed they would continue to provide care through their regular diocesan structures. Archbishop Barry Morgan noted: “However, we no longer consider that the continuation of additional episcopal provision for one part of the Church on grounds of belief or doctrine on one particular issue is either necessary or consistent with Anglican ecclesiology. All Church in Wales clergy and parishes are in communion with their respective Diocesan Bishop, regardless of whether or not they agree on every issue. Episcopal oversight and care for all within each Diocese is the responsibility of the Diocesan Bishop.”

House of Bishops votes to depose Bishop Duncan

At a meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah, on September 18, 2008, the House of Bishops voted 88 to 35 with 4 abstentions to consent to the deposition of Bishop of Pittsburgh Robert W. Duncan. (See Pittsburgh Update story here.) Duncan was certified by the Title IV Review Committee in December of last year as having abandoned the communion of the Episcopal Church under Canon IV.9.

The Salt Lake City meeting was the first House of Bishops meeting at which the bishops of the church could vote whether to consent to Duncan’s deposition based on the charges from the Review Committee. It had been thought likely that the bishops would defer a decision until after the diocesan convention voted on “realignment” on October 4. After much discussion, however, the bishops decided to proceed with deposition.

Bishop Duncan, who did not attend the House of Bishops meeting, announced that he had become a bishop of the Southern Cone before Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori could talk with him or issue the official letter of deposition. Duncan also announced that he was working for the diocese as a consultant and expects to be asked back as bishop after “realignment.” The diocese has created a new blog containing testimonials supporting Bishop Duncan.

News coverage of the action by the House of Bishops has been extensive, both in Pittsburgh and elsewhere. Rather than offering our own list of links, we instead direct readers to “Thinking Anglican,” a site in the U.K. that has done a particularly good job of documenting Web stories on the deposition vote and its aftermath:

House of Bishops votes of Bishop Duncan
press reports on Bishop Duncan
more on the Duncan case

The Presiding Bishop wrote a personal letter to Bishop Duncan that can be read here. The actual deposition can be found here.

Readers will have no trouble finding other news and comment about the deposition vote by following the links provided by “Thinking Anglicans” or by doing their own Web searches.

Court appoints masters in Calvary lawsuit

Judge Joseph James issued an order September 17, 2008, appointing Stanley E. Levine and Campbell & Levine, LLC, masters in the Calvary Lawsuit. (See Pittsburgh Update story here.) The masters are to inventory real and personal property held by the Diocese of Pittsburgh from October 14, 2005, forward, and report to Judge James on any possible violations of the stipulation. Plaintiffs and defendants are to share costs. The court order can be found here.

News for Week Ending 9/15/2008

Canadian primate asks for talks on boundary crossings

According to Anglican Journal, Archbishop Fred Hiltz, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, has asked the Archbishop of Canterbury to facilitate a meeting that includes the primates of the Canadian, U.S., and Brazilian provinces and the Southern Cone primate, the Most Rev. Gregory Venables. Venables has facilitated episcopal incursions into dioceses of each of the other churches. Archbishop Rowan Williams has said he will try to arrange the requested meeting. Episcopal News Services has provided more background on the request here. The Toronto Star quotes Venables as saying it would be “difficult for me to attend.”

The Anglican Journal story cited above also reports that Canadian bishops will be discussing the moratoria urged at the recent Lambeth Conference. (See Pittsburgh Update story here.) Hiltz indicated that the moratoria present serious difficulties for the Canadian church, and there is concern that graciousness respecting moratoria relating to homosexuals will not be matched by those who have engaged in boundary crossings.

Clergy and lay leaders who left Canadian Church sue Bishop of New Westminster

Anglican Journal reported September 15, 2008, that 17 clergy and lay leaders who left the Anglican Church of Canada for the Anglican province of the Southern Cone have sued Bishop Michael Ingham. In a suit filed September 9, plaintiffs seek to have the court declare that the Bishop of New Westminster acted improperly in attempting to regain diocesan control of two breakaway parishes, St. Matthew’s, Abbotsford, and St. Matthias and St. Luke, Vancouver. (See Pittsburgh Update story here.) The Diocese of New Westminster posted a statement on its Web site concerning the suit September 11.

Bishop apologizes; PB removes inhibition

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori lifted the inhibition imposed on the Rt. Rev. Edward MacBurney, retired Bishop of Quincy. MacBurney was inhibited April 2, 2008, in response to a presentment issued by the Title IV Review Committee January 24, 2008. MacBurney was charged with conducting unauthorized confirmations in the Diocese of San Diego at the urging of Southern Cone Presiding Bishop Gregory Venables.

According to a September 10 story from Episcopal News Service, MacBurney “voluntarily submitted to discipline.” Bishop of San Diego Jim Mathes, who had filed a complaint against MacBurney, said, “Bishop MacBurney's decision is the result of my efforts and those of others to find a non-judicial outcome to an unfortunate event.”

Court approves special master

Lawyers both for Calvary Church and for diocesan leaders were in court again September 8 to argue Calvary’s request for a neutral party to inventory and oversee the use of diocesan assets. Calvary also wanted parishes to be allowed to escrow assessment payments in light of the upcoming realignment vote at the October 4 convention. The Post-Gazette reported on the brief hearing here. Attorneys agreed that Judge Joseph James could appoint a special master to inventory diocesan assets, and agreed to allow parishes to escrow assessment payments. As this is being written, Judge James has not yet issued a written order, so details of his decision are not yet clear. The diocese issued a statement September 9 on the hearing.

Across the Aisle event attracts more than 300

Episcopalians planning to maintain the Episcopal Church presence in Southwestern Pennsylvania should the diocese vote for “realignment” at the October 4 convention attracted more than 300 people to a two-hour program called “A Hopeful Future for the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh: An Alternative Solution.” The gathering was sponsored by Across the Aisle, a theologically diverse coalition of clergy and laypeople in the diocese. (See Pittsburgh Update story here), The gathering was reported by both the Post-Gazette and the Tribune-Review (ignore the misleading headline, however). Presenters assured attendees that there will continue to be a Diocese of Pittsburgh in The Episcopal Church.

The program for the event can be viewed here.

House of Bishops to take up Duncan deposition

In a September 12 letter to Episcopal bishops, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori explained that, at the business meeting of the House of Bishops on September 17 in Salt Lake City, Utah, she “shall present to the House the matter of the certification to me by the Title IV Review Committee that Bishop Robert W. Duncan has abandoned the Communion of this Church within the meaning of Canon IV.9.” (Jefferts Schori’s letter can be read here.) The Presiding Bishop both explained the background of the charges against the Bishop Duncan and attempted to deflect criticism that might be leveled at the bishops for proceeding with a vote to depose. Although canons require that she present to the bishops the Title IV report, her letter noted that the bishops had the option of deferring the matter to a later meeting after the Pittsburgh convention votes on realignment or proceeding at the current meeting.

George Conger, Episcopal priest and frequent church critic, raised objections to the coming proceedings in a September 14 essay here. Bishop Duncan responded to the Presiding bishop's letter with a pastoral letter to the diocese that can be read here. That letter included as an enclosure, a letter written by the bishop to other bishops of the church on August 24. In that letter (available here), Duncan made it clear that he will not attend the Salt Lake City meeting. He urged bishops to take a roll call vote.

The Task Force on Property Disputes of the House of Bishops has also written to bishops about the Duncan matter. Its memorandum can be read here.

On September 15, Episcopal News Service issued a story on the deposition vote that can be read here.

News for Week Ending 9/8/2008

“Realignment” strikes Anglican Province of America

Controversy surrounding participation in the Common Cause Partnership (CCP) headed by Bishop Robert Duncan has led to the announcement by the Rt. Rev Robert Boyce, Bishop Ordinary of the Anglican Province of America (APA) Diocese of the West that he is taking his diocese out of the APA and requesting that it be joined to the Reformed Episcopal Church. Boyce, sent out a letter on September 4 informing the 26 parishes in his diocese of the change. The next day, the Presiding Bishop of the APA, the Most Rev. Walter H. Grundorf, announced Boyce’s resignation and replacement by the Very Rev. Donald King until the APA can determine the actual wishes of each parish and hold an extraordinary synod to reorganize the diocese. His announcement is on the home page of the APA Web site. David Virtue has reported in detail on the details of the“realignment” of the Diocese of the West here. If all 26 parishes in 8 western states were to leave the APA, it would represent a defection of one-quarter of the total APA parishes.

Boyce has been very involved in the CCP and was disappointed when Grundorf announced that the APA was withdrawing from direct participation in the CCP because it includes too many advocates of women’s ordination. (See Pittsburgh Update story here.)

Across the Aisle to sponsor unity event

Across the Aisle, the informal group of clergy and laypeople of varied theological stripes who are committed to staying in The Episcopal Church, is presenting a program called “A Hopeful Future for the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh: An Alternative Solution” on September 13. The two-hour event opposing diocesan realignment begins at 1 PM at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Mt. Lebanon. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported on the announcement from Across the Aisle here. More information is available on the St. Paul’s Web site here. A poster about the event can be downloaded here.

On September 6, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported on both the Across the Aisle event and a similar event supporting realignment at St. Stephen’s, Sewickley, on September 6, sponsored by the Coalition for Realignment.