The Anglican Church of Brazil has unilaterally enacted alternate episcopal oversight following an extraordinary meeting of its House of Bishops in Porto Alegre on Sept. 16 during which several “liberal” congregations were removed from the oversight of the Bishop of Recife.

The Rt. Rev. Robinson Cavalcanti, Bishop of Recife, who along with five retired Episcopal bishops confirmed more than 100 persons at a service in the Diocese of Ohio without the prior knowledge of the Bishop of Ohio, was not present for the House of Bishops’ meeting and learned of its decision upon his return from a conference in Malaysia.

Citing “theological and pastoral divergences,” the Brazilian bishops, with the support of the Bishop Suffragan of Recife, the Rt. Rev. Filadelfo Oliveira, voted to transfer episcopal oversight of congregations in Recife which did not share the majority evangelical mindset of their bishop and diocese to the Rt. Rev. Mauricio Andrade, Bishop of Brasilia.

In a Sept. 17 letter to the primate, the Most Rev. Orlando Santos Oliveira, Recife’s standing committee objected to the decision. The action was a “juridical nullity” and would not be recognized by the diocese, the letter stated.

(From The Living Church, Oct. 10, 2004)