News for Week Ending 9/7/2009

Episcopal bishops meet with Archbishop of Canterbury

Seven Episcopal bishops, all of whom signed the Anaheim Statement—see Pittsburgh Update story here—had a private meeting with Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams September 2, 2009. The The bishops who attended the meeting were Mark Lawrence (South Carolina), Gary Lillibridge (West Texas), Edward Little (Northern Indiana), William Love (Albany), Michael Smith (North Dakota), James Stanton (Dallas), and Bruce MacPherson (Western Louisiana). To date, no information about the meeting has been revealed. Episcopal News Service reported the story here.

The seven bishops are from what are generally considered conservative dioceses. In at least one of those dioceses, however, there is clear discomfort among at least some Episcopalians. The Albany Times-Union reports that members of Albany Via Media intend to question Bishop Love at upcoming informational meetings as to whether he intends to try to remove his diocese from The Episcopal Church.

9/8/2009 UPDATE: The seven bishops have now issued a statement, which can be read here.

Nuns leave Episcopal Church for Rome

All but two of the dozen Episcopal nuns of the Society of All Saints’ Sisters of the Poor in their convent in Catonsville, Maryland, have joined the Roman Catholic Church. The Rev. Warren Tanghe, who has been chaplain to the order, is also asking to be accepted as a Roman Catholic priest. The decision to leave The Episcopal Church was years in the making. According to The Pilot, a Catholic newspaper, the sisters were distressed by a number of developments in The Episcopal Church, including the ordination of women. The Living Church reported on this story here and here.

Iker challenges authority of Fort Worth provisional bishop

Episcopal News Service reported September 2, 2009, that attorneys for Bishop Jack Iker, the former Bishop of Fort Worth who encouraged his diocesan convention to vote to leave The Episcopal Church, is challenging the legitimacy of Bishop Ted Gulick Jr., and the standing committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth. The move is part of the ongoing litigation involving the diocese being conducted in a Texas court. A September 9 hearing has been scheduled. On September 3, the Diocese of Fort Worth petitioned the court for a partial summary judgment in its attempt to recover diocesan assets from Iker and his followers, who are now part of the Anglican Church in North America. Details are available on the diocesan Web site here.

Candidate for Pittsburgh provisional bishop named

The Diocese of Pittsburgh announced September 3, 2009, that the diocesan standing committee has chosen Southern Ohio suffragan bishop Kenneth L. Price as its candidate for provisional bishop of the diocese. The annual convention of the diocese, which is to be held at Trinity Cathedral on October 17, 2009, will vote on the standing committee’s selection. The Rt. Rev. Robert H. Johnson, retired Bishop of Western North Carolina, has been serving as assisting bishop. If elected, Bishop Price, unlike Bishop Johnson, will have jurisdiction, i.e., full authority as bishop of the diocese. He will serve only until the diocese nominates and elects a diocesan bishop in the usual manner. The three other dioceses that experienced a recent schism immediately moved to elect provisional bishops and are now led by provisional bishops.

Additional information about Bishop Price is available on the diocesan Web site at the address given above. Also available are letters from the standing committee, Bishop Price, and Bishop Johnson. They can be found here. Stories from Episcopal News Service and The Living Church can be found here and here. Stories from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Pittsburgh Tribune-Review can be read here and here.