News for Week Ending 1/23/2012

English archbishops suggest ‘engagement’ with ACNA

Episcopal News Service reported January 20, 2012, that the Archbishop of Canterbury and Archbishop of York have written a document for the upcoming General Synod of the Church of England advocating “an open-ended engagement” of that church with the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA). As we reported here, the February 2010 General Synod passed this resolution, which began as a resolution declaring that the Church of England actually desired to be in full communion with ACNA:

That this Synod, aware of the distress caused by recent divisions within the Anglican churches of the United States of America and Canada:

a) recognize and affirm the desire of those who have formed the Anglican Church in North America to remain within the Anglican family

b) acknowledge that this aspiration, in respect both of relations with the Church of England and membership of the Anglican Communion, raises issues which the relevant authorities of each need to explore further; and

c) invite the Archbishops to report further to the Synod in 2011.

In the report from Rowan Williams and John Sentamu, the English archbishops “encourage an open-ended engagement with ACNA on the part of the Church of England and the Communion,” while asserting that the “Church of England remains fully committed to the Anglican Communion and to being in communion both with the Anglican Church of Canada and the Episcopal Church.” Archbishop Robert Duncan is quoted in an ACNA story as follows:

We are encouraged by the desire of the Church of England to continue to embrace the Anglican Church in North America and remain in solidarity with us as we proclaim the Gospel message and truth as revealed in Scripture in the way it has always been understood in Anglican formularies.

The Rev. Canon Phil Ashey, of the American Anglican Council, offers a more nuanced reaction here.

Despite consultations, AMiA/Rwanda tie unclear

We reported here last month that the Anglican Mission in the Americas (AMiA) had broken its ties to the Province of the Anglican Church of Rwanda. Despite various meetings, it is not clear what the near term relationship of the AMiA to Rwanda or to the Anglican Church in North America is likely to be. The American Anglican Council has published a communiqué resulting from a January 4, 2012, meeting of representatives of the AMiA and the Rwandan church that took place in Kenya. Essentially, the sides agreed to keep talking. Also, AMiA priest Philip Eberhart wrote on VirtueOnline about his experience attending meetings in Houston and Raleigh. His report is interesting, but Eberhard doesn’t know where the relationship is going, either.

More information released on episcopal candidates

The Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh has released additional information on the four candidates who have been nominated to become the next Bishop of Pittsburgh. Links to information such as age, education, etc., of the candidates can be found in the revised post announcing the candidates.

News for Week Ending 1/16/2012

English Bishops call for candid Covenant debate

The Lead reported January 16, 2012, that retired Church of England bishops John Saxbee and Peter Selby have published a letter in Church Times pleading for “candid, even-handed, and open” discussion of the proposed Anglican Covenant. (The Covenant is being debated by diocesan synods and will be brought to the General Synod if approved by a majority of Church of England dioceses.) The bishops, episcopal patrons of the No Anglican Covenant Coalition, lament “that many bishops who are against the Anglican Covenant don’t want to say for fear of seeming disloyal, that diocesan synods are ‘debating’ the issue without hearing both sides of the argument equally presented, and that there is so much boredom and weariness about the whole issue.”

Archbishop of Cape Town: Covenant ‘necessary’

According to Anglican Communion News Service, Archbishop of Cape Town Thabo Makgoba has written to the Archbishop of Canterbury in response to the English primate’s Advent letter (see Pittsburgh Update story here). In that letter, Makgoba observes, “It seems to me that the Covenant is entirely necessary, in recalling us to ourselves. Only in this way can we continue to grow in bearing this rich fruit that comes from living the life which is both God’s gift and God’s calling.” The ACNS story includes both the letter and an analysis.

Virginia trial court rules for diocese in property cases

The same judge who who ruled against the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia in the property case involving congregations that left The Episcopal Church while attempting to retain church property has, in a retrial, ruled for the diocese. In December 2008, Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Randy I. Bellows handed down an opinion, based on a Virginia Civil War era statute, that awarded real and personal property to the breakaway churches that are now part of the Convocation of Anglicans in North America. (See Pittsburgh Update story here.) On appeal, the Virginia Supreme Court remanded the case to the trial court, ruling that the state church division statute was misapplied. (See Pittsburgh Update story here.) With the idiosyncratic state statute off the table, the case pitting the remaining seven churches against an Episcopal diocese looked like a church property case in any other state. Bellows’ opinion acknowledged that the canon law of The Episcopal Church does not allow a congregation to leave with its property and that the churches, prior to their recent departure, operated within the established rules of the church. Bellows determined that the church should relinquish real and personal property to the Episcopal diocese but can keep property obtained with funds collected after they declared themselves to be outside The Episcopal Church.

Episcopal news service reported this story. The ENS report includes links to commentary on the latest development in the Virginia story.

Four candidates named for Pittsburgh bishop

On January 15, 2012, the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh announced the names of four candidates vying for election as the next Episcopal Bishop of Pittsburgh. The candidates are:

1. The Rev. Canon Michael N. Ambler, Jr., Rector of Grace Episcopal Church, Bath, Maine
2. The Rev. Dorsey W. M. McConnell, Rector of Church of the Redeemer, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
3. The Rev. R. Stanley Runnels, Rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Kansas City, Missouri
4. The Rev. Ruth Woodliff-Stanley, Rector of St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Denver, Colorado 

Additional candidates to be considered at the April 12 election may be nominated by petition. Petitions must be submitted by February 5.

The diocesan announcement can be found here. A description of the process that led to the January 15 announcement is on the diocesan Web site here.

News for Week Ending 1/9/2012

Orombi to Retire

Archbishop Henry Luke Orombi, primate of the Church of Uganda, has announced his retirement. A new primate will be elected in June and enthroned in December. Orombi would have reached the mandatory retirement age in January 2014. Orombi was a prominent supporter of deposed bishop Robert Duncan and had made a number of visits to Pittsburgh. New Vision covered the story here.

Texas Supreme Court to hear Fort Worth case

According to the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth, the Texas Supreme Court has agreed to consider the direct appeal of the breakaway Fort Worth diocese to last year’s partial summary judgment in favor of the Episcopal diocese in the Fort Worth property case. The press release from the breakaway diocese can be read here.

Two properties returned to Episcopal diocese

The properties of St. Martin’s, Monroeville, and Good Samaritan, Liberty Boro, were returned to the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh at the beginning of January. The congregations, members of the Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh, found other venues for worship. The transfer was announced by the Anglican diocese; the Episcopal diocese has not yet commented on the transfer, which returned properties whose deeds are held by the Episcopal diocese’s Board of Trustees.

News for Week Ending 1/2/2012

Vatican establishes U.S. ordinariate

The Vatican announced the establishment of an American ordinariate January 1, 2012, for Episcopal priests and congregations who want to become Roman Catholics while retaining elements of their Anglican heritage. The provision for such ordinariates was first announced in 2009. (See Pittsburgh Update story here.) The new ordianariate will be headquartered in Houston, Texas—its new Web site is here—and will be led by Jeffrey Steenson, the former Episcopal Bishop of Rio Grande who left The Episcopal Church to become Roman Catholic. Because he is married, Steenson cannot become a Roman Catholic bishop under Vatican rules. Details of the story can be found here.

Episcopal Church debuts new Web site

The Episcopal Church unveiled a redesigned Web site December 28, 2011. In a story from Episcopal News Service, the site is described as a “welcoming, eye-appealing, easy-to-navigate, experiential site.” The site is available at the same address as formerly, namely http://episcopalchurch.org. Comments on the new site can be made at http://episcopalchurch.org/contact.

News for Week Ending 12/26/2011

Southern Cone accepts Covenant

Anglican Communion News Service announced December 21, 2011, that the Province of the Southern Cone accepted the Anglican Covenant at a November Executive Committee meeting. In doing so, the Southern Cone asserted that it is no longer involved in border crossings despite its ongoing intervention in Brazil’s Diocese of Recife.

A table showing the status of the Anglican Covenant in the various Communion churches can be found here.

Sudan recognizes ACNA in place of TEC; bans PB visit

George Conger, writing for the Church of England Newspaper, reported December 23, 2011, that the Episcopal Church of Sudan has recognized Bob Duncan’s Anglican Church in North America, rather than The Episcopal Church, as the legitimate Anglican church in the U.S. As a result, an invitation to Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori to visit Sudan has been withdrawn.

Groton congregation faces eviction—maybe

The case of Bishop Seabury Church of Groton, Connecticut, seems to resist coming to an end. The congregation, which attempted to leave The Episcopal Church to join the Convocation of Anglicans in North America while retaining parish property, received a serious blow last September, when the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut regarding the Seabury Church property. (See Pittsburgh Update story here.)

According to theday.com, the congregation is under court order to vacate the Groton property by January 4, 2012., but Bishop of Connecticut Ian Douglas has said that he will not insist on that date and is seeking a resolution that will not require the removal of the congregation.
On December 16, the Connecticut Supreme Court rejected a request by the congregation for a rehearing. The congregation plans to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

St. Edmund’s, Elm Grove, ordered to return property

Another church associated with the Convocation of Anglicans in North America was ordered to surrender its property to an Episcopal diocese December 16, 2011. According to Episcopal News Service, Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge J. Mac Davis has ordered the immediate return of the parish property of St. Edmund’s, in Elm Grove, Wisconsin, to the Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee.

The dissident congregation left The Episcopal Church in 2008. Attorneys for both sides are now discussing how to make a smooth transfer of St. Edmund’s assets.

News for Week Ending 12/19/2011

Papua New Guinea approves Anglican Covenant

According to an Anglican Communion News Service story of December 15, 2011, the Anglican Church of Papua New Guinea has approved the Anglican Covenant. It becomes one of a handful of churches that has so far adopted the Covenant unambiguously. Anglican churches in South East Asia and Ireland have adopted the Covenan with reservations whose implications are unclear. (See Pittsburgh Updates story here.)

Illinois judge denies summary judgment in Quincy case

On December 16, 2011, an Illinois state judge denied the request for summary judgment made by The Episcopal Church and the Episcopal Diocese of Quincy regarding control of diocesan assets. (The Quincy diocese voted to leave The Episcopal Church shortly after the Pittsburgh diocese did. See Pittsburgh Update story here.) In a four-page opinion and order, Judge Thomas J. Ortbal admitted that the Episcopal Church's case was strong but argued that it was not so unassailable as to justify summary judgment. The legitimacy of a diocese’s leaving The Episcopal Church has yet to be definitively adjudicated in the case of any of the four dioceses that experienced schism three years ago.

Province IV bishops meet with S.C. bishop

According to a December 15, 2011, story by Episcopal News Service,six Province IV bishops meet with Bishop of South Carolina Mark Lawrence December 14 in discussion about Lawrence’s justification for sending quitclaim deeds to parishes of his diocese. (See most recent Pittsburgh Update story here.) In a statement released by all the bishops involved, including Bishop Lawrence, the discussion was characterized as “honest” and “forthright.” The statement included no suggestion that anything was resolved by the meeting.

Trinity Cathedral becomes exclusively Episcopal

On December 15, 2011, the Cathedral Chapter of downtown Trinity Cathedral voted to reassert the provisions of its charter making it once again exclusively an Episcopal cathedral. The Cathedral had been operating under a Special Resolution since 2008, acting as the cathedral both for the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh and the Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh. (See Pittsburgh Update story here.) A letter of explanation from Provost (the Rev. Canon Dr.) Cathy Brall can be found on the Cathedral’s Web site. The Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh published a story on the return of the Cathedral to exclusively Episcopal control on December 17. According to that story, “Bishop Price is extending a special invitation to show solidarity and support for the Cathedral by joining him there for his annual Christmas Eve Eucharist.”

On December 19, the Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh posted a note about the vote on its Web site. In it, Archbishop Duncan accuses Trinity Cathedral of embracing “exclusivity.”

News for Week Ending 12/12/2011

Former Nigerian primate supports anti-gay law

Nigeria’s Guardian reported December 10, 2011, that retired Church of Nigeria (Anglican) Archbishop Peter Akinola is supportive of the anti-homosexuality bill that recently passed by the Nigerian Senate. (See Pittsburgh Update story here.) Akinola urged the House of Representatives to pass the bill and urged President Goodluck Jonathan not to bow to international pressure to veto the bill.

AMiA breaks with Rwanda

The Anglican Mission in the Americas has apparently broken its ties with the Rwandan church that had provided its connection to the Anglican Communion. The church, which began with disaffected Episcopalians sponsored by the Anglican Church of Rwanda, later joined, then withdrew, from the Anglican Church in North America. It is unclear with what church the AMiA will now affiliate. Christianity Today offers a summary of the story, which is still developing.

ENS site revamped

Episcopal News Service has received a Web makeover. It is now part of the Episcopal Digital Network, “an ad-supported media network that delivers news, information, and branded entertainment to church leaders, members, and general audiences.” The Episcopal News Service home page can now be found at http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/. There does not seem to be a link to the new site from the main Episcopal Church Web site. Recent ENS stories seem to have retained their URLs (Web addresses), but the URLs of older stories have changed.

Standing Committee writes hostile letter in anticipation of meeting of bishops in S.C.

VirtueOnline reported December 12, 2011, that the Standing Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina wrote a letter to Bishop of East Carolina Clifton Daniel December 9 in anticipation of a December 14 meeting in South Carolina between Bishop of South Carolina Mark Lawrence and Province IV bishops. The bishops had requested a meeting to clarify recent actions in South Carolina, particularly Bishop Lawrence’s issuance of quitclaim deeds to diocesan parishes. (See Pittsburgh Update story here.) The letter, whose purpose seems to be intimidation, can be read on the VirtueOnline site.

Georgia Takes possession of Savannah church

A December 12, 2011, press release from the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia reported that the diocese has taken possession of historic Christ Church in Savannah. The Georgia Supreme Court ruled that the property is properly controlled by the diocese on November 21, 2011. (See Pittsburgh Update story here.) The congregation left The Episcopal Church in 2007 for the Ugandan church and attempted to maintain control of the property. According to the press release, the keys to the church were handed over December 12 by Joan Malley, a former administrator at Pittsburgh’s Church of the Ascension.

Roman Catholic Church becomes part of Fort Worth dispute

A church in the breakaway Diocese of Fort Worth (whose property is therefore the subject of litigation) had begun the process of joining the U.S. Ordinariate authorized by the Roman Catholic Church to receive disgruntled Anglicans. (Many of the parishes that broke from The Episcopal Church in Fort Worth were strongly Anglo-Catholic.) Former bishop Jack Iker first scheduled a meeting of the congregation to decide the fate of St. Timothy’s, then suspended the meeting, citing legal prohibitions. The Lead reported on the matter on December 3, 2011. Subsequently, Provisional Bishop C. Wallis Ohl indicated in a statement that the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth is flexible on the matter of how the situation of St. Timothy’s is handled. The Lead reported on his statement here.