News for Week Ending 9/5/2011

Two NZ dioceses reject Covenant

The diocesan synods of two dioceses of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia have dealt blows to the attempt to have that church adopt the Anglican Covenant. The Diocese of Auckland passed a long resolution on the Covenant September 3, 2011, according to the New Zealand church’s Web site. The resolution noted that the church has passed the first three sections in principle. It calls section 4.2, which is the primary section relating to disciplinary procedures “contrary to our understanding of Anglican ecclesiology, to our understanding of the way of Christ, and to justice.” The section was described as “unacceptable to this Synod.”

New Zealand priest and blogger Bosco Peters reported that another New Zealand diocese, the Diocese of Waiapu, has rejected the Covenant by an overwhelming vote. Its resolution affirmed a desire to remain in the Anglican Communion but expressed the belief that the Covenant would not “enhance the life of the Communion.”

Two other New Zealand diocese have already rejected the covenant. (See Pittsburgh Update story here.)

Rosemont saga ends

Episcopal News Service reported in a story September 1, 2011, that a judge has ordered deposed priest David Moyer to vacate Church of the Good Shepherd in Rosemont, near Philadelphia, and Moyer will, apparently, comply. This ends a battle that has gone on for nearly 10 years, one we will not attempt to summarize here. Pittsburgh Update has published many stories on the Moyer affair, the most recent being this one. In addition to the ENS story, Mark Harris has a good summary of the events which, at times, have involved our own diocese, on his Preludium blog.

Another church returned to Episcopal diocese

All Saints, Rosedale, has decided to turn over its building to the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh. The congregation left the Episcopal Church in 2008 to join the diocese headed by deposed bishop Robert Duncan. Both the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Pittsburgh Tribune-Review ran stories on the development. The diocese and congregation could not reach agreeable terms that would have let the “Anglican” congregation remain in the building. The Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh ran a story on the agreement, but, at least so far, the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh has not. Rector David Rucker wrote a letter to Episcopal chancellor Andy Roman August 29, 2011, to explain the decision of the congregation. The congregation issued a press release September 1.