COLUMBUS, Ohio – A day after electing its first female presiding bishop, the Episcopal General Convention yesterday debated another tension-filled topic: whether the U.S. church should temporarily bar gays from becoming bishops to preserve Anglican fellowship.
Delegates began considering a moratorium at the request of world Anglican leaders who remain angry over the 2003 consecration of the first openly gay bishop – V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire.
But the session ended before any vote could be taken on prohibiting gay bishops. Debate was scheduled to resume this morning, one day before the convention ends.
The Rev. Frank Wade opened yesterday's debate in the House of Deputies, comprised of lay people and clergy, by asking delegates not to view the request from Anglican leaders as an ultimatum, but as a plea for peace.
“No one is being asked to stop being different. No one is being asked to stop believing differently from others,” Wade said. “The question is how do we live together.”
Legislation adopted by the deputies goes to the House of Bishops for final approval.
The Episcopal Church is the U.S. arm of the 77 million-member Anglican Communion. If leaders in other countries dislike the outcome of this week's meeting, the association of 38 national churches could splinter apart.
Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, the Anglican Communion's spiritual leader, has expressed concern that the feud over gay clergy would cause a permanent rift.
The situation has been complicated by Sunday's election of Nevada Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori as the first Episcopal presiding bishop – the first woman to lead an Anglican church.
Only two other Anglican provinces – New Zealand and Canada – have female bishops. Many Anglicans believe women should not be ordained.
In a 2004 document called the Windsor Report, Anglicans asked the Episcopal Church for the prohibition on gay bishops, a temporary ban on developing official prayers for blessing same-sex couples and an apology for the turmoil caused by Robinson's confirmation.
An Episcopal committee, of which Wade is a member, drafted legislation in response to the report that stops short of a ban on gay bishops. Instead, it urges dioceses to “refrain from” choosing bishops “whose manner of life presents a challenge to the wider church.”
That proposal includes an apology for the pain this causes gays and lesbians, as well as an “expression of regret” to Anglicans for failing to properly consult them before consecrating Robinson, and an apology for “the consequences that followed.”
The deputies voted 563-267 to adopt the apology measure. Several delegates argued that it would be wrong to apologize for something the church saw as part of its fight against injustice. Others worried it would set a dangerous precedent that could require expressions of regret on other issues.
