Episcopal Life Online Newslink September 25, 2007
Episcopal Life Online is available at http://www.episcopalchurch.org/elife.
Today's ELO Newslink includes:
* TOP STORY - Bishops provide 'clarity' in response to Primates' communiqué * TOP STORY ? House of Bishops response 'to questions and concerns raised by our Anglican Communion partners' * TOP STORY - ACC, Primates Joint Standing Committee adjourns, initiates report to Archbishop of Canterbury * TOP STORY - Diocesan administrators meet in New York; opening reception held at Church Center * TOP STORY - Rio Grande bishop tells colleagues he wants to become Roman Catholic * DIOCESAN DIGEST - NORTHWEST TEXAS: Nomination process opens for next bishop * MULTIMEDIA - Presiding Bishop: A Word to the Church * WORLD REPORT - MELANESIA: Government supports churches for advancement of women * WORLD REPORT - MYANMAR: Christian leaders praise monks and offer prayers for nation
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TOP STORIES
Bishops provide 'clarity' in response to Primates' communiqué
By Pat McCaughan and Mary Frances Schjonberg
[Episcopal News Service, New Orleans] After nearly a full day of deliberations, the House of Bishops on September 25 agreed overwhelmingly by voice vote to "exercise restraint by not consenting to the consecration of any candidate to the episcopate whose manner of life presents a challenge to the wider church and will lead to further strains on communion."
They also pledged not to authorize public rites for same-gender blessings "until a broader consensus emerges in the Communion, or until General Convention takes further action," according to the response.
Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori told reporters at a news conference following the conclusion of the meeting that bishops found "common ground to stand on ? high ground. Not everyone is 100 percent happy with every word in this document, but we believe we have found a place that all of us can stand together -- at the foot of the cross."
Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_90460_ENG_HTM.htm
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House of Bishops response 'to questions and concerns raised by our Anglican Communion partners'
[Episcopal News Service] The full text of the House of Bishops response 'to questions and concerns raised by our Anglican Communion partners' is available at http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_90457_ENG_HTM.htm
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ACC, Primates Joint Standing Committee adjourns, initiates report to Archbishop of Canterbury Communion-wide response to House of Bishops necessary, committee members say
By Matthew Davies
[Episcopal News Service, New Orleans] By the time the Joint Standing Committee (JSC) of the Anglican Consultative Council and the Primates of the Anglican Communion adjourned its September 20-24 meeting in New Orleans, the House of Bishops was still formalizing its response to the Anglican Primates' February 19 communiqué, issued in Dar es Salaam. Committee members noted the importance of meeting face-to-face with the Episcopal Church's bishops and acknowledged the need for a Communion-wide response to the result of their deliberations.
Committee members confirmed September 25, before departing for the airport, that they had begun to prepare a confidential "consensus document" for Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams based on "indications" of how they thought the bishops might respond.
The bishops said September 24 that they wanted to respond in as clear and concise a manner as possible to the Primates' communiqué.
The final statement adopted by the House of Bishops is being sent immediately via email to the JSC and the Archbishop of Canterbury, who is traveling in Armenia and Syria, a spokesperson for the Anglican Communion said.
Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_90458_ENG_HTM.htm
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Diocesan administrators meet in New York; opening reception held at Church Center
By Daphne Mack
[Episcopal News Service] Administrators from nearly 70 dioceses gathered at the Episcopal Church Center in New York City on September 24 for the opening reception of the 2007 Episcopal Business Administration Conference for Dioceses (EBAC), set to run through September 27 at the Roosevelt Hotel.
EBAC is an annual three-day conference sponsored by the Church Pension Group (CPG) and the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society (DFMS), the legal entity of the Episcopal Church. Its purpose is to provide orientation, professional development and resource sharing for diocesan treasurers and business administrators in the Episcopal Church. The yearly conferences are geared towards enhancing the ability of these professionals to be of better service to the Church at all levels.
"This conference is one of the principle ways that we can connect and interact with the broader church through the diocesan administrators," said T. Dennis Sullivan, president of CPG.
Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_90455_ENG_HTM.htm
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Rio Grande bishop tells colleagues he wants to become Roman Catholic Bishops agree to MacDonald's resignation, restore former Montana bishop
By Mary Frances Schjonberg
[Episcopal News Service, New Orleans] On the last morning of the Episcopal Church's House of Bishops meeting in New Orleans September 25, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori officially informed her colleagues of changes in the community since their last meeting in March and asked for their consent to those changes, where it was required.
During an executive session which began the morning session, Rio Grande Bishop Jeffrey Steenson told the house that he wants to resign as diocesan bishop and then be released from his Episcopal Church ordination vows by the end of the year. He told the bishops that to remain in the Episcopal Church "may lead me to a place apart from Scripture and Tradition" and that God was calling him to join the Roman Catholic Church.
"It is indeed painful to lay down this ministry, but I realize that an effective leader cannot be so conflicted about the guiding principles of the Church one serves," Steenson told the house in a statement, which he later released to the media. "I hope my decision will encourage others who believe they can no long remain in the Episcopal Church to respect its laws and withdraw as courteously as possible for the sake of the Christian witness."
Full story: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_90451_ENG_HTM.htm
More Top Stories: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/elife
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MULTIMEDIA
Presiding Bishop: A Word to the Church
[Episcopal Life Online] Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori speaks to the members of the Episcopal Church following the September 20-25 meeting of the House of Bishops.
A video stream of the Presiding Bishop's message is available at http://www.episcopalchurch.org/89878_27398_ENG_HTM.htm
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DIOCESAN DIGEST
NORTHWEST TEXAS: Nomination process opens for next bishop http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81803_90449_ENG_HTM.htm
More Diocesan news: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81803_ENG_HTM.htm
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WORLD REPORT
MELANESIA: Government supports churches for advancement of women http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81808_90450_ENG_HTM.htm
MYANMAR: Christian leaders praise monks and offer prayers for nation http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81808_90453_ENG_HTM.htm
More World news: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81808_ENG_HTM.htm