wfn.org | [ENS] Bishop Bruno inhibits breakaway Los Angeles Episcopal

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

Thursday, August 19, 2004

Bruno inhibits breakaway Los Angeles clergy

By Jan Nunley

ENS 081904-1

[ENS] Bishop J. Jon Bruno of Los Angeles has temporarily inhibited four 
clergy serving the two Southern California parishes that announced their 
intention August 17 to leave the Episcopal Church and join the Diocese of 
Luweero in the Anglican Province of Uganda.

Bruno declared that priests Praveen Bunyan, William Thompson and Richard 
Menees and deacon Kathleen Adams "abandoned the communion of this Church" 
by their action, and requested that the two rectors meet with him and 
rescind their decision, but said they refused the invitation. Bunyan is 
rector of St. James' Church in Newport Beach [www.stjamesnewportbeach.org]. 
Menees is associate rector and Adams the deacon in that congregation. 
Thompson is rector of All Saints Church in Long Beach 
[www.allsaintslongbeach.org].

An emergency meeting of the diocesan Standing Committee was called, during 
which the committee ruled that there was "sufficient evidence" the four had 
abandoned the Episcopal Church USA.

"I have responded by inhibiting them from the exercise of the ordained 
ministry," Bruno wrote in a pastoral letter to be read to all 147 
congregations in the diocese on Sunday, August 22. "Should they wish to 
return to the communion of this Church during this period, a process of 
restoration will take place. Should they not change their minds, they will 
be deposed. My sincere hope for these clergy and vestries is that they will 
reconsider their decision and return to full communion with me, the 
Episcopal Church and indeed with the Anglican Communion."

Bruno said he had also written a letter of protest to Bishop Evans Mukasa 
Kisekka of Luwero, with a copy to Archbishop Henry Luke Orombi, the primate 
of the Province of Uganda.

"No bishop outside the diocese has the jurisdiction to oversee ministry 
within that geographical diocese. The fact that a bishop from another 
autonomous church within the Anglican Communion has chosen to exercise 
oversight in this diocese flies in the face of our ethos as Anglicans and 
of the catholic unity of the Church. It is a clear statement that the 
Diocese of Luwero and its Bishop and the Province of Uganda and its Primate 
have broken with the established historic authority of the Anglican 
Communion," Bruno said.

Bruno made it clear that it was his intention to "protect and preserve the 
properties of these congregations as part of the Diocese of Los Angeles." 
He promised to develop plans for the pastoral care of members who want to 
remain part of the Episcopal Church.

According to the letter, the decisions took Bruno by surprise. "The rectors 
of these congregations appeared unexpectedly, and without an appointment, 
at the Cathedral Center on Tuesday morning, August 17, and delivered 
written notice of their actions," he wrote. "They also left a voice-mail 
message for me and seem to have believed that this served as sufficient 
communication with me.

"I have attempted to honor the congregations and clergy who have dissented 
from the decisions of General Convention and even offered them the 
oversight of a bishop of our Church whose opinions on these issues are more 
in keeping with theirs. The rectors of these congregations did not avail 
themselves of this opportunity and even up to two weeks ago affirmed their 
love and loyalty to me as their Bishop. How distressing their recent 
decision has been to me," he said.

Bruno blasted statements issued by the two congregations, declaring "these 
clergy have also framed their leaving in terms I find unfair and false" by 
saying that the Episcopal Church is "not orthodox biblically or
theologically."

"I will not let the Holy Scriptures be compromised by those who seek to 
make their literalist and simplistic interpretation the only legitimate 
one," he concluded. "Further, I uphold the orthodox faith given to us by 
the apostles in all the essentials laid down in the historic creeds of the 
Church. In these necessary things there must be unity of faith, but in 
other things there may be diversity within this roomy house we call the 
Anglican Communion."

--The Rev. Jan Nunley is deputy director of Episcopal News Service.

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