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Episcopal Bishops Offer New Plan to Gay Dissenters
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| Parent(s) |
Issue
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| Contributor | Gerald Farinas |
| Last Edited | Gerald Farinas Mar 23, 2004 03:15pm |
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| Category | News |
| Media | News Service - Associated Press |
| News Date | Tuesday, March 23, 2004 06:00:00 AM UTC0:0 |
| Description | Episcopal Bishops Offer New Plan to Gay Dissenters
The Honolulu Advertiser
Winding up three days of closed-door talks, the Episcopal Church's bishops offered a new plan Tuesday for ministering to conservative congregations that feel bound to reject leadership of bishops who support gay clergy. The plan, produced after at a meeting in Navasota, Texas, may not prevent further problems in a denomination that has been in turmoil since the consecration of its first openly gay bishop last year.
Under normal Episcopal procedure, the local bishop controls all ministries in his diocese but can decide to invite visiting bishops to substitute in cases of special need. In the current situation, congregations that cannot accept leadership by the resident bishop because of the denomination's split over gay clerics are asking to be led by visiting, conservative bishops. Five retired Episcopal bishops pressed the issue by performing confirmation rites near Akron, Ohio, this month without required approval by the local diocese. The bishops implied that further disobedience would occur if congregations were not given what they want.
Tuesday's plan for "Delegated Episcopal Pastoral Oversight" calls on parishes that disagree with the local bishop over gay clergy to meet with him. If a deal for visiting bishops cannot be struck, an appeal can be filed with the president or vice president of the region, or province. The provincial bishop might consult in turn with two other bishops representing different views before deciding what to recommend. |
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