The Lead

Episcopal News Service (ENS) has reports of today's hearings, meetings, and events of General Convention. One hearing with passionate testimony was by the committee dealing with resolutions about Israel and Palestine:

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict was the focus of two hours of passionate testimony July 6 at a public hearing in the National and International Concerns Committee. About 40 people testified on the 14 resolutions that are currently being considered by General Convention.

The resolutions range from calling the church to support more intentional economic investment in the Palestinian Territories that would support the creation of a future state to asking the church to divest from Israeli companies that profit from the occupation of Palestinian land.

All of the resolutions acknowledge the need for the church to engage in education and advocacy concerning the conflict, but many of the speakers held divergent views on how such an effort should be accomplished, including which resources would be helpful for study.
[An earlier ENS story that outlines the content of the resolutions and additional context is available here.]

The hearing comes one day after the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), following two hours of speeches at its General Assembly in Pittsburgh, rejected divestment in favor of positive investment as part of its position on peace in the Middle East.

Another issue comes from the Dioceses of Fort Worth and Quincy who want clarification about the interference in court cases between the Dioceses and those who have broken away from The Episcopal Church:

Episcopal Church Diocese of Quincy Provisional Bishop John Buchanan and Fort Worth Provisional Bishop Wallis Ohl want the House of Bishops to “set the record on the polity of this church regarding its hierarchical character.”

Buchanan and Ohl wrote to Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori July 5 to make the request and the House of Bishops discussed their letter during a closed session here July 6. The house is due to continue that discussion at the beginning of their afternoon legislative session July 7, Buchanan and Ohl told Episcopal News Service in an interview after the house recessed.

In their letter Buchanan and Ohl detail four ways in which they say nine bishops made false claims about the nature of Episcopal Church governance in two court filings concerning property litigation in Fort Worth and Quincy. They say those claims “aid and comfort breakaway factions” who want to cripple the church by taking title and control of the church’s real and personal property.

Those court filings have also been the subject of reports July 2 that two Title IV disciplinary complaints have been filed about five active bishops and four retired bishops.

“This is not a matter of a few unhappy bishops stating their personal views on church polity,” Buchanan and Ohl wrote in their letter. “They each affirmatively and officially acted by injecting themselves, intentionally and without invitation from the bishops exercising jurisdiction, into local litigation, opposing this church and sister dioceses on core ecclesiastical issues regarding the very identity of other dioceses.”

Comments (11)

Speaking of property, today PCUSA at its convention reiterated property is held by the denomination,

http://www.pcusa.org/news/2012/7/6/general-assembly-retains-pcusa-property-clause/
The “property clause” of the Book of Order of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) remains in the denomination’s constitution after the 220th General Assembly, by voice vote, upheld its Policy Committee’s recommendations, rejecting two overtures that would have placed property into the hands of congregations....Under the PC(USA) constitution, all property held by or for a congregation is “held in trust nevertheless for the use and benefit” of the denomination.

Posted by John B. Chilton | July 6, 2012 11:08 PM

Speaking of Iker's diocese and the amicus brief, Iker today said this,

http://www.fwepiscopal.org/news/supremecourt.html
Attorneys for the Diocese, Corporation, and congregations have filed a Motion to Expedite Oral Argument in our appeal to the Texas State Supreme Court. This extraordinary request was prompted, in part, by the threat of ecclesiastical discipline against the seven TEC Bishops who filed a brief in April as friends of the court, describing the structure of TEC hierarchy, as expressed in the Constitution and Canons which govern TEC’s General Convention and its relationships with member dioceses.

Posted by John B. Chilton | July 6, 2012 11:12 PM

Washington Post reports on Presbyterians vote.

Posted by Ann Fontaine | July 6, 2012 11:19 PM

Sorry to be a little off topic, but I was wondering if those who enjoy the coffee here and are at General Convention might seek out our Primate, Barry Morgan who is visiting.

While congratulating him on his firm opposition to "Rule by Primates" and personal stand for gay people - just mention how disappointed you were by the recent document issued as part of the UK government's consultation on marriage equality.

It suggested we should be happy with what we have. It was surprised that gay people were the main target for the consultation. It failed to recognise that Christians see marriage as a vocation and that all of us can aspire to its high standards. and anything you too might find lacking in these rather winging and self interested words:
http://www.churchinwales.org.uk/press/display_press_release.php?prid=5397

Dear A Facebook User - please sign your name next time you comment. Thanks ~ed.

Posted by A Facebook User | July 7, 2012 6:27 AM

Cheers to Bishops Ohl and Buchanan from Albany Via Media! Because our Bishop Love signed the controversial amicus curiae, we are following discussion thereof with great interest.

Robert T. Dodd, President
Albany Via Media

Posted by Bob | July 7, 2012 7:05 AM

I really do not understand those who ask for clarification on the ownership issue. Is there some part of the Canons that is not clear? Have TEC's pleadings not been consistent on this point? Are all parishes and dioceses not held to an accession clause?

If our governing documents say we are hierarchical, no amount of opinion or wishful thinking will make it otherwise. A lot of time and energy goes into debating this point, when we could just as easily spend time debating whether the earth indeed is flat.

(Sorry if I sound grumpy--it's already hot as heck here in Northern VA, and the coffee has not yet kicked in.)

Eric Bonetti

Posted by E B | July 7, 2012 7:39 AM

Haven't the Dioceses of Fort Worth and Quincy had enough in the way of troubles? For bishops in their own church to give aid to those on the other side of the litigation is a slap in the face, no matter how long and loudly the bishops behind the amicus curiae declare they meant no harm.

June Butler

Posted by GrandmèreMimi | July 7, 2012 10:22 AM

You can be sure, June, that this has as much, if not more, to do with setting the groundwork for dioceses which have not yet formally seceded - SC for starters.

Posted by Roger Mortimer | July 7, 2012 11:19 AM

Thanks for printing my request anyway!

My Identity, the one asking for people to gently nobble the Primate of Wales (who signed off on the Windsor Report!) but who is a lovely guy .....

Is Martin Reynolds

Posted by A Facebook User | July 7, 2012 3:26 PM

So are Episcopal Church Diocese of Quincy Provisional Bishop John Buchanan and Fort Worth Provisional Bishop Wallis Ohl the complaining parties, in the "complaint" filed against the 9 bishops (mistakenly reported in some quarters as "charges")?

JC Fisher

Posted by tgflux | July 7, 2012 8:44 PM

JCFisher- the answer from the bishops is no.

Posted by Ann Fontaine | July 7, 2012 9:16 PM

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