wfn.org | Episcopal women's ordination will continue to be monitored

[Daphne Mack <dmack@dfms.org>]

For more information:

Episcopal News Service
James Solheim
jsolheim@dfms.org
212/922-5385
http://www.ecusa.anglican.org/ens

GC2000-091

Convention approves continued monitoring of women's ordination

by Susan Erdey and Jan Nunley 

     (ENS-DENVER) For the second time, General Convention has put 
its collective foot down and said "no more waiting" on the full 
access of women to ordination.

     Although women have been ordained as priests in the 
Episcopal Church since 1974, and canons regarding ordination of 
women priests have been in effect since 1976, three dioceses--
Fort Worth, Quincy, and San Joaquin--still have not yet fully 
complied with canon law.

     At the 72nd General Convention in 1997, resolution A053a 
specified that the three dioceses had to submit a "progress 
report" on efforts to implement the ordination canons to the 
Denver convention.

     This year's General Convention approved Resolution A045, 
which once again calls for the House of Bishops and Executive 
Council to continue monitoring the three dioceses' progress 
toward full acceptance of women priests. It also adds a provision 
for Executive Council to create a task force that will "visit, 
interview, assess and assist" the dioceses in their compliance 
with the national canons. The task force is to complete its work 
and report by September 1, 2002.

     The three dioceses say they are in compliance with the 
canons because they have developed various ways of dealing with 
requests:

Fort Worth

     Fort Worth has entered into an arrangement with its 
neighboring diocese of Dallas, known as "the Dallas Plan." Women 
aspirants to the priesthood from Fort Worth enter the discernment 
process in Dallas, where, according to Fort Worth's Bishop Jack 
Iker, "they may eventually be ordained and placed by Bishop 
Stanton." 

     If a congregation in Fort Worth were to call a woman as 
rector, Iker said he would "relinquish [his] episcopal oversight 
of that congregation to Bishop Stanton, so that he might license 
a woman priest to serve there. The congregation would remain 
fully a part of this diocese, and the woman priest would be fully 
a part of the Diocese of Dallas, while serving under this special 
pastoral provision."

     When asked by a reporter for Issues why her parish (Trinity, 
Fort Worth) was not allowed to include women in its recent search 
for a new rector, the Rev. Canon Charles Hough of Fort Worth 
replied, "Up front we say that the Bishop of Fort Worth does not 
license women [as priests]. No one [from Trinity] approached us 
officially" to ask for implementation of the Dallas Plan.

Quincy

     Quincy believes it is in compliance because there are two 
women deacons in the diocese, one of whom was ordained since the 
1997 General Convention. But there are no women priests in 
Quincy.

     At a press briefing following the House of Deputies vote, 
the Rev. Canon H.W. Herrmann from Quincy said, "This saddens 
us...in that we believe we were taking the presiding bishop's words 
seriously on the year of Jubilee. We were under the impression 
that this would ... be dealt with in another way, a kinder, gentler 
way than this resolution."

San Joaquin

     Nancy Salmon, deputy from San Joaquin, said she believes San 
Joaquin is in compliance with the canons because of the 28 
persons in various stages of the ordination process, 7 are women; 
3 are preparing for the diaconate, and 4 are on the priesthood 
track. San Joaquin has no women priests serving as rectors or 
priests-in-charge. There is one woman priest who has been 
functioning as an assistant in a Fresno parish, but she has not 
been licensed in San Joaquin.

     Acknowledging the developments in San Joaquin, the 
resolution A045 states that the convention commends "the progress 
made by the Diocese of San Joaquin."

     Salmon echoed Herrmann's opinion, saying that "although I 
fervently support the ordination of women, [this] resolution is 
not in the spirit of Jubilee. It is mean-spirited."

Voting for implementation

     In a vote by orders on July 13, the House of Deputies voted 
overwhelmingly in favor of A045. In the lay order, 90 dioceses 
voted yes, 10 voted no, and 5 were divided. In the clergy order, 
95 dioceses voted yes, 7 voted no, and 3 were divided. 

     The House of Bishops spent two hours discussing A045 on July 
14, the final afternoon of General Convention. Although the 
eventual vote approving the resolution and concurring with the 
House of Deputies action was taken by voice vote and did not 
require a roll call, debate was intense. 

     Bishop John Howe (Central Florida) objected strongly to the 
task force concept. "This is the absolute antithesis of 
everything we have been hearing, celebrating, and attempting to 
cultivate these 10 days in terms of Jubilee consciousness, 
graceful conversation, and respectful listening. This says, 'We 
don't think you are making progress fast enough and we are going 
to come and straighten you out.' Assistance that is neither 
requested or desired is not assistance. It is imposition."

     Bishops spent considerable time debating a substitute motion 
proposed by Bishop John Lipscomb (Southwest Florida) that would 
have given the presiding bishop responsibility for monitoring the 
three dioceses' progress toward implementation. The substitute 
also called for a dialogue with the dioceses on their acceptance 
of women into the ordination process. A number of bishops 
supported the substitute, citing the convention's Jubilee theme.

     Bishop Ed Little (Northern Indiana) observed that "the Holy 
Spirit changes hearts. We cannot force compliance. We can 
encourage people to continue to listen to one another and listen 
to the voice of the Holy Spirit, and trust that the Holy Spirit 
will transform."

     Speaking against the substitute motion, Bishop Chet Talton 
(Los Angeles) likened "these kinds of unusual arrangements around 
the ordination of women" to "the arrangements around people of 
color. People who didn't want to receive the ministry of people 
of color made unusual arrangements then as they do now. ... It is 
time after 26 years to make this small, incremental step toward 
compliance with the decision the church has made. That is the 
difference between this matter and the other matters around 
sexuality we have been discussing. We may not be of one mind on 
those issues, but on this one the church has decided."

     The substitute motion was eventually defeated in a close 
vote, but the bishops did approve it as a "mind of the house" 
resolution after they approved the original language of A045. A 
"mind of the house" resolution is intended to represent a 
consensus of opinion among those in the House of Bishops, but 
does not carry legislative weight.

--Susan Erdey is layout and design editor for RISEN in the 
Diocese of Rhode Island. The Rev. Jan Nunley is director of 
communications for the Diocese of Rhode Island.