The Lead

UPDATED
2 p.m. Update: Comments from Presiding Bishop here.

The Standing Committee of the portion of the Diocese that has voted to realign, has announced a special convention in November to elect a diocesan bishop and to admit into the Diocese of Pittsburgh any additional parishes that wish to join the Diocese of PIttsburgh of the Province of the Southern Cone. The Convention will be held at Trinity Cathedral. The first order of business on the second day of the special convention will be the Bishop's Address and Vision. All clergy of the diocese are now able to pick up licenses as clergy of the Province of the Southern Cone. The back of the license spells out the terms they agree to when they accept that license.

Archbishop Venables announces that he has appointed Bishop Robert Duncan to serve as the "Episcopal Commissary" of the diocese.

Immediately following that announcement Bishop Duncan greeted the Convention. He reports that the existing Standing Committee is still the ecclesiastical authority until the new bishop is elected. It is explained to be a temporary measure in effect while this diocese and is expected to last until there is a new Orthodox diocese of "faithful Anglicans here in North America."

UPDATE:

The vote has been taken and its result is being reported as:

121 aye, 33 nay, 3 abstentions (clergy)
119 aye, 69 nay, 3 abstentions (laity)

At the moment the Diocesan Convention is reorganizing its committees and reporting the results of other elections.

UPDATE 2 p.m. - comments from Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori:

"I believe that the vast majority of Episcopalians and Anglicans will be intensely grieved by the actions of individuals who thought it necessary to remove them from The Episcopal Church," Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori said after the vote. "I have repeatedly reassured Episcopalians that there is abundant room for dissent within this Church, and that loyal opposition is a long and honored tradition within Anglicanism. Schism is not, having frequently been seen as a more egregious error than charges of heresy. There is room in this Church for all who desire to be members of it. The actions of the former bishop of Pittsburgh, and some lay and clergy leaders, have removed themselves from this Church; the rest of the Church laments their departure. We stand ready to welcome the return of any who wish to rejoin this part of the Body of Christ.
"We will work with remaining Episcopalians in Pittsburgh to provide support as they reorganize the Diocese and call a bishop to provide episcopal ministry. The people of The Episcopal Church hold all concerned in our prayers -- for healing and comfort in time of distress, and for discernment as they seek their way into the future.

This from Episcopal Life Online, which promises a fuller story later today.

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The Diocese of Pittsburgh moved its annual convention up a month earlier this year when it became clear that Bp. Duncan might be deposed; so after a morning Eucharist and lunch, the Diocese will move to the business at hand: to wit, voting on Resolution One: whether to leave the Episcopal Church and affiliate with the Southern Cone.

Thinking Anglicans has a roundup of morning papers and other stories on today's vote in Pittsburgh here.

Information on the convention and its resolutions are at the diocesan website, here.

Progressive Episcopalians of Pittsburgh has some resources here.

More as it unfolds.

Comments (10)

Neither link works. Please correct.

(Ed. Note -- got it. thanks for the heads up. - HTM)

Posted by Phillip Cato | October 4, 2008 12:58 PM

Special message from Abp Greg Venables was just read to the Convention.

In summary:

Assures of love and prayers. Looks to resolution of the crisis. Millions share with you the biblical faith and historic and unique gospel. Welcome to family of the Southern Coast.

Posted by Nicholas Knisely | October 4, 2008 1:17 PM

Standing Committee is going into special meeting and there is an important message expected to follow immediately.

Posted by Nicholas Knisely | October 4, 2008 1:18 PM

Does Trinity School for Ministry go with them into the Southern Cone? If so what does that mean for students from Episcopal dioceses who are studying there? And does that mean that from now on their students will be drawn only from Southern Cone affiliated dioceses?

When these clergy retire, I think they are in for a rude awakening, though surely they have weighed that cost.

What will be the process for removing these clergy from the ministry of the Episcopal Church?

PCC

Posted by Phillip Cato | October 4, 2008 3:00 PM

Phillip Cato asks a very important question about Trinity School for Ministry.

Related to Phillip's question about clergy, did the clergy each decide to leave the church as individuals as well?

Also, what happens to Calvary and the other congregations who would like to stay within the Episcopal Church?

Also, why is Mr. Duncan being referred to as a bishop? If he was deposed, he was deposed, or was he already consecrated by the Southern Cone?

Posted by Peter Carey | October 4, 2008 3:29 PM

Ah, I just caught the update with the statement from the Presiding Bishop regarding the churches that want to stay in the Episcopal Church.

Posted by Peter Carey | October 4, 2008 3:30 PM

Peter, Nick and I were tag-teaming this post so I can't speak for his updates, but in my case I was writing from the perspective of prior to his deposition. (I have a tendency to abbreviate it to Bp., if that helps you see where it's me writing.)

Venables still recognizes him as bishop and in my next update there will be a bit about the fact that Duncan is expected to be asked to come back on board as bishop at the Nov. 7 special event--the original date of the diocesan convention, as it were. I'm still parsing through the pieces that are coming through and expect to have another update up around 4.

Posted by Helen Mosher | October 4, 2008 3:41 PM

Helen,

Great work on a tricky and strange situation!

Sounds good...some of my questions were more rhetorical in form ... to get people thinking .... we live in some strange (but interesting) times!

Peter

Posted by Peter Carey | October 4, 2008 4:14 PM

Please note a typo in the vote count: there were 119 aye votes in the laity, not 191. There were also three abstentions in each of the orders (having the effect of nay votes, since a majority of those present was required to pass).

(thanks, fixed. —Ed.)

Posted by Bill Ghrist | October 4, 2008 4:19 PM

MORE evidence...we can NOT "move beyond" the LGBT sexuality "issue" within The Episcopal Church or The Anglican Communion...today, we have seen again the damage cause by those who would not share The Body and Blood of Christ with fellow Christians at Church...this issue is one of important SALVATION from many points of view and I would encourage ALL of us who choose to be Episcopalians to remain focused on our mission to include and be welcoming to fellow human beings at OUR CHURCH!

In Nigeria and Uganda the Anglican Archbishops are currently leading a political/social witchhunt against LGBT Christians/others that may result in much violance and murder of those "hunted" to be persecuted...we must NOT LOOK AWAY and pretend it's time to "move beyond" sexual orientation character issues, or any other character issues at TEC!

WE MUST NOT EXCLUDE ANYONE nor allow ANYONE to throw us out of OUR own house of worship as they join another Church.

Posted by Leonardo Ricardo | October 4, 2008 4:29 PM

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