September 25, 2007
House of Bishops of The Episcopal Church
New Orleans, Louisiana
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 Canterbury and members of the Joint Standing Committee of
the Anglican Consultative Council and the Primates for accepting our
invitation to join us in New Orleans. By their presence they have both
honored us and assisted us in our discernment. Their presence was a
living reminder of the unity that is Christ's promised gift in the power
of the Holy Spirit.
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
* We reconfirm that resolution B033 of General Convention 2006
(The Election Of Bishops) calls 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."
* We pledge as a body not to authorize public rites for the
blessing of same-sex unions.
* We commend our Presiding Bishop's plan for episcopal visitors.
* We deplore incursions into our jurisdictions by uninvited
bishops and call for them to end.
* We support the Presiding Bishop in seeking communion-wide
consultation in a manner that is in accord with our Constitution and
Canons.
* We call for increasing implementation of the listening process
across the Communion and for a report on its progress to Lambeth 2008.
* We support the Archbishop of Canterbury in his expressed desire
to explore ways for the Bishop of New Hampshire to participate in the
Lambeth Conference.
* We call for unequivocal and active commitment to the civil
rights, safety, and dignity of gay and lesbian persons.
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."[1] 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 reiterated 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 human
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 toward 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 persecuted because of their differences, often in the name
of God."
[1] The Communion Sub-Group noted that "the resolution uses the language
of 'restraint', and the group noted that there has been considerable
discussion since General Convention about the exact force of that word.
By requiring that the restraint must be expressed in a particular way -
'by not consenting ...', however, the resolution is calling for a
precise response, which complies with the force of the recommendation of
the Windsor Report." The group also noted "that while the Windsor
Report restricted its recommendation to candidates for the episcopate
who were living in a same gender union, the resolution at General
Convention widened this stricture to apply to a range of lifestyles
which present a wider challenge. The group welcomed this widening of
the principle, which was also recommended by the Windsor Report, and
commend it to the Communion."
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