News around TEC

In Washington DC, Bishop Chane will step down:

The Rt. Rev. John Bryson Chane announced today that he plans to retire as bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington after the consecration of his successor in the fall of 2011.

Chane, 65, became the eighth Bishop of Washington in June 2002. He is known for his passionate support for the full inclusion of gay and lesbian Christians in the Church, his commitment to interfaith dialog, and his outreach to Africa and the Muslim world.

“I love what I do and I deeply love this diocese,” Chane told delegates to the diocese’s annual convention at Washington National Cathedral. “When the time actually comes to turn over the crosier to another it will be a very emotional time for me. “

However, noting that he had been a priest for 38 years, Chane said it was “time to elect a younger person to lead what I consider to be the best and one of the most influential dioceses in the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion.”

In PIttsburgh, Bishop Duncan is told to give back the property:

Although Duncan, through his attorneys, argued that the stipulation does not mean what it seems to mean, Judge James disagreed and, in October 2009, issued an order that the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh should “hold and administer the real and personal property that is subject to Paragraph One [which deals with diocesan property].” That property was inventoried by a special master appointed by the court, attorney Stanley E. Levine.

Today’s order states that:

• The court accepts Levine’s inventory as a list of property...
• There is to be both a public and a confidential version of the court order. ...
• Financial institutions and repositories holding diocesan funds are to take instructions only from the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh. ...
• Real property listed by the special master is rightfully held and administered by the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh. ...
• Recipients of “altar artifacts”..may not sell, transfer, or move the artifacts to another location without the permission of the court.
• Persons or entities having taken out loans from the diocese are to take instructions for repayment from the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh.
• Defendants are to provide to the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh within 20 days financial and other records needed by the diocese to hold and administer the property covered by the order. They are to provide “ongoing cooperation” to implement the provisions of the order.

The order takes effect immediately, and the court “retains jurisdiction over the parties and the subject matter to enforce the Stipulation and Order of October 14, 2005, the Opinion and Order of Court of October 6, 2009, and [the current] order.”

Several Points in Favor of TEC in Pittsburgh

From an article in Episcopal Life Online:

A judge has ruled in favor of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh on several points in its legal dispute with former leaders over control of diocesan assets, according to a release posted on the diocesan website.

(Ex-) Bishop Duncan, repeat after me, "Thou shalt not steal."

Iker Won't Recognize Female Priests in Pittsburgh

In an interview over on the (so-called) Anglican Mainstream site, former Episcopal bishop Jack Iker discusses his relationship with ordained women in Bob Duncan's breakaway group in Pittsburgh:

Correct. I’m in communion with him [Duncan], and I’m in a state of impaired communion with women he ordains to the priesthood. Obviously they’re welcome in our churches, but not as celebrants of the eucharist.

They've barely got this "new thing" off the ground, and they're already arguing with each other over, well... purity issues.

Anyone for a serving of Schadenfreude Pie ?

News from Pittsburgh

The always astute Fr. Mark Harris gives us an excellent summary of current goings-on in the Dio. of Pittsburgh via Simons on the State of the Church in Pittsburgh (that being the Rev. Dr. James Simons, Chair of the Standing Committee).

In addition, local news of the diocese is always only a click away at the local Via Media group, the Progressive Episcopalians of Pittsburgh and on the diocesan website (which seems to now be managed by folks who remember how to spell "Episcopalian" ;)

The Vote in Pitt

From AP:

Clergy and lay members of the theologically conservative Pittsburgh diocese voted overwhelmingly Saturday to break from the liberal Episcopal Church, with which it differs on issues ranging from homosexuality to biblical teachings on salvation...

The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, presiding bishop of the U.S. church, criticized the vote in a statement, saying, "There is room in this Church for all who desire to be members of it." She also said schism is not an "honored tradition within Anglicanism" and is "frequently been seen as a more egregious error than charges of heresy."...

The votes were 240 in favor of leaving the church and 102 against. Eight voters either abstained or cast disqualified ballots.

Meanwhile in Ft. Worth and Pittsburgh

Plans are afoot in Fort Worth and Pittsburgh for the bishops to try to move to the Southern Cone and take churches along. +Jack and +Bob are busy trying to convince people this is a good idea. Meanwhile - stalwart Episcopalians are fighting back.

For an update on Pittsburgh check here and for Fort Worth check here.

Lots of lessons were learned from the San Joaquin struggle.

UPDATE: Fr. Mark Harris presents Bishop Iker's Reasoning for realignment, with commentary.

(+)Duncan Deposed for Abandoning Communion

After nearly two days of prayerful and solemn closed-door sessions, the House of Bishops on September 18 voted by a two to one majority to depose Bishop Robert Duncan of Pittsburgh. The vote authorizes Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori to remove Duncan from ordained ministry.

Read the entire notice at Episcopal Life Online in the House of Bishops votes to depose Pittsburgh bishop for ‘abandoning Communion’.

Diocese of Pittsburgh Prepares for Vote on Secession

From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

In response to a lawsuit led by one of its parishes, the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh has agreed to have a court-appointed neutral party inventory all of its property and assets as it prepares for a final vote on seceding from the Episcopal Church.

Read the whole article at Episcopal Diocese prepares for secession vote.

A New North American Province ?

As Ann notes below,

[T]he Common Cause Partnership has chosen to announce its intention to petition the FOCA Primates Council for the formation of a "North American province of Gafcon"

The intention of the CCP Executive Committee is to petition the Primates Council for recognition of the CCP as the North American Province of GAFCON on the basis of the Common Cause Partnership Articles, Theological Statement, and Covenant Declaration, and to ask that the CCP Moderator be seated in the Primates Council.

You can read the entire entry on the Episcopal Café in Petition for a North American province of Gafcon.

As a comment to that entry, reader Phillip Cato rather keenly observes:

As they assemble themselves to become something new, and powerful, and "orthodox," they might want to brush up on the history of previous purist movements. A good, hard look at the Cathari, the ideological descendants of the Manichaeans, would be a good place to start. They are, I think, their progeny, whether they realize it or not.

Me Me Me

Episcopal Cafe notes this conjunction of announcements:
Abp Deng of Sudan disses TEC and Gene
CCP announces new province in US
The Network announces new province in US
Video of laity proclaiming how good it will be to be free of TEC, appears on Pittsburgh (now PitAng) web site.
Duncan leaves Lambeth Conference.

All when the news should be focused on the genocide in Sudan and the MDGs.

Hmmmm....