News for Week Ending 10/18/2010

Southern Cone sanctioned by Communion Office

Canon Kenneth Kearon, secretary general of the Anglican Communion, has written to Bishop of Chile Tito Zavala informing him that he is being removed from the Inter Anglican Standing Commission on Unity, Faith and Order (IASCUFO) after failing to respond to a letter from Kearon clarifying his role in border crossings. Chile is part of the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone. Similar sanctions had been imposed on members of The Episcopal Church for violation of the three moratoria urged by the Windsor Report. (See Pittsburgh Update story here.) To date, only The Episcopal Church and the Southern Cone have been punished by having their members removed from Anglican bodies. The story was covered by both Anglican Communion News Service and Episcopal News Service October 14, 2010.

South Carolina moves toward schism

According to an October 15, 2010, Episcopal News Service story, the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina, in a re-convened diocesan convention, passed six resolutions designed to “protect” the diocese from The Episcopal Church. (See Pittsburgh Update story here.) Reputedly, the resolutions are a reaction to the Title IV revisions of the Episcopal Church canons. (Title IV deals with clergy discipline.) Some are worried, however, that resolution presage a break with The Episcopal Church. See the ENS story for details.

No-drama convention approves bishop search

The annual convention of the Episcopal diocese of Pittsburgh held October 16 and 17, 2010, at Trinity Cathedral was notable for its lack of controversy. The usual elections were held, including those for deputies to the 2012 General Convention. Various changes to the constitution and canons were passed as proposed. The changes included provisions to reduce the number of districts from six to four, which has been deemed more appropriate for a diocese of reduced size. The number of parishes in the diocese was increased by one, however, with the acceptance of the newly formed All Saints parish in Bridgeville.

The most significant action of the convention was the approval of a resolution calling for a search process for a new bishop, who is to be elected April 12, 2012. The resolution was a version revised by the Standing Committee after objections to certain details were questioned. A minor amendment was adopted to clarify the intent of the resolution.

As this is being written, stories about the convention are still being added to the diocesan Web site. Access to all information about the convention can be had from here. Episcopal News Service also reported on the convention.