If you listen to Catholic leadership in Maryland, the sky fell this past week as that state’s legislature passed marriage equality for gay and lesbian residents....But, as other recent events like the battle over contraception and “religious freedom” has shown, there seems to be a rather large disconnect between the leadership and the laity over this issue. MORE
Monday, March 5, 2012
Church of England General Synod rejects move on women bishops
The final decision on women bishops in the Church of England is expected in the middle of the year after General Synod last month rejected further concessions to those wanting to retain a male-only episcopate.
After a three-hour debate at Church House in Westminster on 8 February, all three houses of the Synod – Bishops, Clergy and Laity – adopted a motion that explicitly rejected any “substantial” amendments to the legislation before it.
The legislation provided for traditionalist parishes to have access to an alternative male bishop, who would intervene in the diocese of a woman bishop – but only at her discretion.
After a three-hour debate at Church House in Westminster on 8 February, all three houses of the Synod – Bishops, Clergy and Laity – adopted a motion that explicitly rejected any “substantial” amendments to the legislation before it.
The legislation provided for traditionalist parishes to have access to an alternative male bishop, who would intervene in the diocese of a woman bishop – but only at her discretion.
A compromise by the Diocese of Manchester, which was defeated, proposed creating male “co-ordinate” bishops, who would serve traditionalist parishes in dioceses that may be led by a woman bishop but with authority under legislation, rather than from the diocesan bishop.
The Archbishops of Canterbury and York had backed this plan in 2010, with York’s Archbishop John Sentamu telling Synod last month that it would give the bishops a chance to make provision for traditionalists “without changing the substance of the legislation”. MORE
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Consultants reinstated as full members on ecumenical commission
The Rev. Katherine Grieb of the U.S.-based Episcopal Church and Archbishop Tito Zavala of the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone have been reinstated as full members on the Anglican Communion’s chief ecumenical and doctrinal commission.
The two members have served for the past two years as consultants to the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Unity, Faith and Order (IASCUFO) after their full membership on that body was rescinded at the request of Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams.
Williams’ request concerning Grieb came in May 2010 following the consecration of Los Angeles Bishop Suffragan Mary Douglas Glasspool, who is openly gay, and his decision about Zavala was made in October 2010 because the Southern Cone had failed to clarify whether it was still involved in cross-border incursions into other provinces.
Grieb is an Episcopal priest and professor of New Testament at Virginia Theological Seminary. Zavala was bishop of Chile at the time but has since been elected as archbishop of the Southern Cone province.
The request to reinstate the members fully was made by IASCUFO chairman Archbishop Bernard Ntahoturi of the Anglican Church of Burundi.
Williams, according to an article from the Anglican Communion News Service, has asked the secretary general of the Anglican Communion to reinstate Grieb and Zavala “acknowledging that members of IASCUFO are present in virtue of skills relevant to the work of the commission and are not present as representatives of their provinces.” Yet when the sanctions were imposed, Williams cited developments and actions taken by the individuals’ provinces.
The May 2010 sanctions impacted other Episcopalians serving on ecumenical bodies. Two were asked to leave the Anglican-Orthodox Theological Dialogue and one member each stepped down from the Anglican-Methodist International Commission for Unity in Mission and the Anglican-Lutheran International Commission.
One Episcopal Church member serving on the Anglican-Old Catholic International Coordinating Council was initially removed but later reinstated as a consultant after it was agreed that that body is not an ecumenical dialogue but the coordination of work by full communion partners.
At the time, no mention was made about ecumenical commission members from other provinces — such as Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda – that had been involved in cross-border interventions in the United States.
Church of England: Sexuality Working Group asks for contributions
The group chaired by Sir Joseph Pilling to advise the House of Bishops on the Church of England's approach to human sexuality has invited submissions. Written submissions can be sent, to arrive by 31 May, to: Sexuality Working Group, c/o Central Secretariat, Church House, Gt Smith Street, London SW1P 3AZ orsexualityworkinggroup@churchofengland.org. The group will also invite oral evidence at a later stage.
The House of Bishops announced on 1 July, 2011, that it intended to draw together material from the listening process undertaken within the Church of England over recent years in the light of the 1998 Lambeth Conference resolution. It also committed itself to offering proposals on how the continuing discussion within the Church of England about these matters might best be shaped in the light of the listening process. The task of Sir Joseph's group, announced last month, is to help the House discharge its commitment to produce a consultation document.
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CIVIL PARTNERSHIPS AND HUMAN SEXUALITY:
STATEMENT FROM THE HOUSE OF BISHOPS
I attach for information a copy of a statement that the House of Bishops has issued
today on civil partnerships and human sexuality. I also attach a copy of a short
accompanying statement from the Bishop of Norwich which has been published with it.
William Fittall
Church House, Westminster
1 July 2011
Civil Partnerships and Human Sexuality:
A Statement from the House of Bishops of the Church of England
It is now nearly six years since the House issued its Pastoral
Statement prior to the introduction of civil partnerships in December
2005. The preparation of that document
was the last occasion when the House devoted substantial time to the issue of
same sex relationships. We undertook to
keep that Pastoral Statement under review.
We have decided that the time has come for a review to take place.
Over the past five and half years there have been several
developments. Consistent with the
guidelines in the Pastoral Statement a number of clergy are now in civil partnerships.
The General Synod decided to amend the clergy pension scheme to improve the
provision for the surviving civil partners of clergy who have died. More recently
Parliament has decided that civil partnerships may be registered on religious premises
where the relevant religious authority has consented (the necessary regulations
are expected this autumn).
The review will need to take account of this changing scene. The
Pastoral Statement was not concerned with clergy alone but with the whole
people of God. We recognise that bishops
and clergy have found ways of engaging pastorally with those in civil partnerships,
both at the time of registration and subsequently. Within the Anglican tradition our theological
thinking is formed by a reasoned interpretation of Scripture, within the living
tradition of the Church informed by pastoral experience. The House believes
there is a theological task to be done to clarify further our understanding of the
nature and status of these partnerships.
These are the background issues for a review of the 2005
Statement. It will be undertaken in the
context of the Church of England’s teaching on same sex relations as set out in
the General Synod motion of November 1987 and Issues in Human Sexuality (a
teaching statement from the House of Bishops in 1991). It will also be consistent
with the approach taken by the Anglican Communion in Resolution 1.10 of the
Lambeth Conference 1998 and subsequently.
Among the matters to be considered in the review of the 2005 Statement
there is one of some importance which the House did not address in advance of
any experience of civil partnerships.
This is whether clergy who have registered civil partnerships should be
eligible for nomination to the episcopate. The House has concluded that it would
be wrong to pre-empt the outcome of the review and that clergy in civil partnerships
should not at present, therefore, be nominated for episcopal appointment. The House’s intention is to complete the
review, which will need to take account of the legal analysis set out in GS
MISC 992, during 2012.
The House has also decided that more work is now needed on the Church
of England’s approach to human sexuality more generally. In February 2007, the General Synod passed a
motion commending “continuing efforts to prevent the diversity of opinion about
human sexuality creating further division and impaired fellowship within the
Church of England and the Anglican Communion.”
Alongside the review of the 2005 Pastoral Statement, the House intends,
therefore, to draw together material from the listening process which has been
undertaken within 3the Church of England over the recent years in the light of
the 1998 Lambeth Conference resolution.
The House wishes to offer proposals on how the continuing discussion
within the Church of England about these matters might best be shaped in the
light of the listening process. Our
intention is to produce a further consultation document in 2013.
Church House Westminster 1 July 2011 4House of Bishops’ statement on Civil
Partnerships and Human Sexuality – accompanying statement by the Bishop of
Norwich The House of Bishops today issued a statement about the continuing
debate within the Church of England about same–sex relationships. Speaking on
behalf of the House the Bishop of Norwich said: “Contrary to popular perception
the House of Bishops has spent very little time over recent years discussing
homosexuality. The last substantive engagement with the issue was in 2005 when
the House agreed to issue a pastoral statement prepared by a group under my
chairmanship on the implications of the introduction of civil partnerships. The
House has now agreed that the time has come to commission two new pieces of
work. First it has asked for a review of the 2005 statement in the light of
subsequent developments. The review will include examination of whether priests
in civil partnerships should be eligible for appointment as bishops. The 2005
statement was silent on this issue and, while the relevant legal background was
analysed in a recently published Legal Office note, the House acknowledges its
responsibility to address the policy issue. To avoid pre-empting the outcome of
the review the House has concluded that clergy in civil partnerships should
not, at present, be nominated for episcopal appointment. The review will be completed in 2012. Secondly,
the House has committed itself to a wider look at the Church of England’s approach
to same-sex relationships more generally in the light of the listening process launched
by the Lambeth Conference in 1998. The Bishops will produce a consultation document
in 2013. The House’s decision is motivated by a desire to help shape the continuing
debate constructively and not by any view about what the outcome should be.” 1
July 2011
Friday, March 2, 2012
Forum on HIV/AIDS and hunger cites importance of faith groups
Senior U.N. officials, business leaders, and development experts on Feb. 29 praised faith groups’ support of global efforts to fight HIV/AIDS and hunger but also stressed their continued support was vital in confronting daunting challenges ahead.
During the forum, which was held at the Geneva headquarters of the World Health Organization and included the participation of Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, participants also praised the strong human rights-based approach taken by faith groups.
Challenges ahead, they said, include new threats posed by climate change and how to increase food output to feed an extra two billion people as the world’s population is projected to increase to nine billion by 2050.
“We are counting on our faith-based partners and their networks to fight this disease (HIV/AIDS),” said Dr. Debrework Zewdie, deputy executive director at the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
“Without them, the millions of people that depend on us would not be reached,” Zewdie noted. She also thanked groups such as the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) for raising funds to fight infectious diseases in Africa such as malaria.
But she also pointed out faith organizations play a major role in helping communities in developing countries increase testing for HIV and in fighting stigmatization of people living with HIV/AIDS.
Williams said that for the faith communities, testing and tackling issues of stigmatization and marginalization is key.
Jon Pender, a vice president of pharmaceutical group GlaxoSmithKline told delegates the role of faith-based groups is vital in delivering care and treatment. Ellen ‘t Hoen, executive director of the Medicines Patent Pool, which works to improve access to treatment, said the strong support by faith organizations for corporate social responsibility has played an important role in helping to secure life-saving antiretroviral medicines.
With regards to fighting hunger, David Nabarro, U.N. special representative for food security and nutrition, emphasized that one-third of the world’s children are chronically malnourished, and new threats of climate change pose serious challenges across the globe.
Peter Prove, executive director of the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance (EAA), highlighted that finding ways to reduce food waste by consumers should not be overlooked.
Williams remarked that faith communities exist “to help continuously.” He also said that an excessive focus on short-term results “is the enemy,” and argued on the need to focus on sustainable production.
Forum organizers included EAA and members Brot fur Alle, Caritas, LWF, World Alliance of YMCAs, World Student Christian Federation and World Vision International, in collaboration with the World Council of Churches and the Permanent Mission of the United Kingdom.
Episcopal Church, Virginia prevail as court refuses to revise decision
] Seven breakaway congregations have been ordered by a judge to return control of church property to the Diocese of Virginia by April 30.
Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Randy I. Bellows set that date after he refused March 1 to reconsider, as requested by the congregations, the part of his Jan. 10 opinion in which he said that some personal property, including monetary gifts, given to the congregations prior to January 31, 2007, belongs to the diocese.
Bellows’ actions were meant to implement his Jan. 10 opinion that the diocese and the Episcopal Church “have a contractual and proprietary interest in the property of these Episcopal churches” for use in the church’s mission and ministry. He added that while congregations “had an absolute right to depart from [the Episcopal Church] and the diocese, they had no right to take these seven Episcopal churches with them.”
The real property includes seven church buildings and a significant number of other parcels. The personal property includes both tangible items, such as chalices, prayer books and crosses, and intangibles, including the funds on hand, the diocese said in a press release issued close to midnight on March 1.
Bellows ordered that the specific inventory of items be based on what he called the “ownership determination date,” which he set at either Jan. 31, 2007, or Feb. 1, 2007, the dates the diocese formally filed for legal action to recover its property.
Bellows issued his order the day after he held a hearing on the issues. The text of the order ishere.
The ruling allows the CANA congregations to retain some restricted funds over which they have no discretion and that do not benefit the local congregation, the diocese or the Episcopal Church, according to the release. The parties have until March 30 to determine the disposition of that money. Where the parties do not agree, the court will decide.
The majority of members and clergy of the seven parishes left to form congregations of theConvocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA), which the Anglican Province of Nigeria began in 2005. The departing members of those congregations then filed claims to parish property under Virginia law.
“We hope that this will mark the end of this lengthy litigation,” Virginia Bishop Shannon S. Johnston said in the diocesan release. “By closing this chapter, both the diocese and the CANA congregations have the freedom to focus our energies on the mission and ministries of our respective congregations, and even what we might be able to do together for people and a world in need of the gospel’s work.”
Johnston added that the diocese has begun an initiative known as Dayspring, which he said was “an integrated effort to discern and implement a comprehensive vision for our congregations and properties affected by this litigation.”
Henry D.W. Burt, secretary of the diocese, called the court’s order “a major milestone in this effort,” and added that the diocese “respect[s] fully the CANA congregations’ right to pursue an appeal, and we are in discussions with them as they face significant issues of discernment and transition in their path forward.”
Jim Oakes, spokesperson for the seven congregations, said in a press release that “while our congregations will comply with the final order, we are saddened that the Circuit Court did not accept the motion for partial reconsideration and we continue to believe that, as a matter of religious liberty, it is the right of donors to restrict the use of their own gifts to the church of their choice.”
The congregations are “prayerfully considering their legal options,” the release said.
“We have always known that a church is not just its buildings, but its people and the transforming gospel of Jesus Christ being proclaimed and lived. We look forward to God leading us in the days ahead,” the Rev. John Yates, rector of the breakaway portion of the Falls Church, said in the same release.
Yates had told his congregation on Feb. 22 that “our intention is to move all staff offices to a convenient nearby office building later this spring, and to shift our Sunday worship services to nearby locations” after the deadline set by Bellows. Some of those worship locations have been determined, others have not, he said.
Yates also said that the congregation “may very well be led” to change its name from Falls Church Anglican. It has already moved its website to http://www.tfcanglican.org/ from http://www.thefallschurch.org. The Episcopal congregation is located here on the web.
Bellow’s Jan. 10 opinion stemmed from a June 2010 decision of the Virginia Supreme Court that found he erred in an earlier ruling when he said that the breakaway congregations involved in the cases were entitled to retain all the parishes’ real and personal property when they left the Episcopal Church and joined another denomination.
In June 2010, the Supreme Court held that although disagreements had caused “a division” within the Episcopal Church and the Diocese of Virginia, the breakaway congregations had affiliated with a church that was not a branch of either the Episcopal Church or the diocese. Such an affiliation is required, the court said, for Virginia’s one-of-a-kind “Division Statute”(Section 57-9(A)) to apply, as the breakaway congregations claimed.
The Supreme Court returned the cases to the lower court for further proceedings to resolve the property claims of the Episcopal Church and the diocese “under principles of real property and contract law.” Bellows held a trial that lasted 22 days stretched over April, May and June 2011, and included testimony by 60 witnesses. He wrote that he also reviewed thousands of pages of post-trial briefs.
In coming to his Jan. 10 opinion, Bellows reviewed Virginia statutes governing church property, the deeds to the real property of the churches, the governing rules of the diocese and the Episcopal Church, and the historic relationship between the parishes and the larger church.
He concluded state statutes support a finding that a local congregation is obligated to comply with the “laws, rules and ecclesiastical polity” of the denomination with regard to property and that the constitution and canons of both the diocese and the Episcopal Church “demonstrate pervasive dominion, management, and control over local church property, in a manner normally associated with ownership, title, and possession.” Bellows said the deeds in question make clear that the property “cannot be removed from the denomination without the larger church’s consent.”
More information about the cases, including all court filings, is available here.
The case originally involved members of 11 congregations of the Virginia diocese but the diocese settled with four of the congregations in the intervening years, including Potomac Falls Church in Potomac Falls and Christ the Redeemer Church in Chantilly, neither of which held any real property.
The diocese agreed to lease the property of Church of the Word in Prince William County to the breakaway members for five years. The Oatlands congregation announced the purchase of a tract of land where they are building a new church. Church of Our Saviour in Loudon County retained the property after paying the diocese $1.95 million, according to Burt. Both congregations agreed to disaffiliate from CANA for a period of time.
The remaining churches are Truro Church, The Church at the Falls – The Falls Church (Arlington), Church of the Apostles (Fairfax), Church of the Epiphany (Fairfax), St. Margaret’s Church (Woodbridge), St. Paul’s Church (Haymarket) and St. Stephen’s Church (Northumberland County).
— The Rev. Mary Frances Schjonberg is an editor/reporter for the Episcopal News Service.
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