A tale of two bishops: a snub, and a welcome.

It's inevitable that contrasts will be drawn between Episcopal and Roman Catholic Bishops because of conflicting views. We've done that here at FoJ on several occasions,

For example after the passage of Prop8, we contrasted the crowing triumphant op/eds written by the RC bishops with the op/ed of San Diego's Episcopal Bishop James Mathes, who lamented the pain and unnecessary hurt this wrong caused. (That was before BP had left the RC church for TEC, and well before we met Bishop Mathes).

Then there was the contrasting response of two NY bishops to marriage equality in that state, with (then) Archbishop Dolan (RC) going ballistic that marriage equality was a loss of HIS freedom, while Bishop Provenzano (TEC) called for equality while protecting true religious freedom.

WE didn't highlight the recent example in Newark, where RC Bishop Myers called for gays and supporters of marriage equality to be denied communion, while TEC Bishop Mark Beckwith called for churches to work together to end poverty.

I also did not draw an explicit contrast between incoming San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone's remarks in which he excommunicated "active" gays:

in a recent interview at the headquarters of the Oakland diocese, where he has served as bishop for three years, Cordileone was more direct: Gays and lesbians who are in sexual relationships of any kind, he said, should not receive the sacrament of Holy Communion, the central ritual of Catholic life.

and the comments of Episcopal Bishop Marc Andrus, in which he identified many points of agreement with the incoming Archbishop on which they could work together, and one disagreement:

In working together with the Archdiocese of San Francisco, however, I will not change my course with regard to the full inclusion of all people in the full life of the church. I hope that public disagreements can be handled respectfully and that criticisms of public statements may be met with mutual respect. Some Catholics may find themselves less at home with Salvatore Cordileone’s installation and they may come to The Episcopal Church. We should welcome them as our sisters and brothers.

Stating the obvious. And not really any different than the Pope's "ordinariate", Anglicanorum Coetibus , which offers the same welcome to disaffected Anglicans, as outlined here by an Episcopal Bishop.

But that sets the stage for the installation of Abp Cordileone yesterday in San Francisco. Bishop Marc reports he arrived earlier than requested, and chatted with the Greek Metropolitan while waiting to be seated.

An archdiocesan employee attempted to escort me upstairs with the Greek Orthodox group, but was stopped from doing so by the employee to whom I had first identified myself. This person, who appeared to be in a superior role, instructed another employee to stand with me.

At this point no other guests remained in the downstairs area. The employee and I chatted while waiting. I began to wonder about the time holdup. I checked my phone; it was 1:50PM. I asked the employee standing with me if the service indeed started at 2, which she affirmed.

At 2PM, when the service was to begin, I said to the employee, "I think I understand, and feel I should leave." Her response was, "Thank you for being understanding." I quietly walked out the door.

The Archdiocese tells another story to the AP,

San Francisco Archdiocese spokesman George Wesolek chalked it up to a misunderstanding. Andrus had arrived late and missed the procession of interfaith clergy who were to be seated up front. Church staff were looking for an opportunity to bring the bishop in without disrupting the service, according to Wesolek. When they went to retrieve him, he had already left.

You know what? I believe Bishop Andrus. I think Archbishop Cordileone's people may have been merely stupid, or misguided, to deny seating to Bishop Andrus. But they wanted to snub him in retaliation for daring to disagree with Abp Cordileone, just the way the Pope has snubbed San Francisco Roman Catholics by seating the "father of Prop8" as their Archbishop.

I hope that what this does is identify TEC as a welcoming church to the Roman Catholics whom Abp Cordileone and his Newark colleague have excommunicated, and those dismayed at such heavy handed tactics. I hope that those RC will try out one of their local Episcopal Parishes this weekend.

My wife swam the Thames, and hasn't looked back. It wasn't easy.  It conflicted with her strong identity as a cradle Roman Catholic.  But as she says, she's still Catholic--just with a Celtic style.   She agrees with the late John Cogley, who described moving from Rome to Canterbury thusly: "I do not look upon this move as a 'conversion' since I have not changed any of the beliefs I formerly held," he said. "Rather, it is a matter of finding my proper spiritual home."

Hey, Roman Catholics:  The Episcopal Church welcomes you home.