A priest who left the Episcopal Church in November and, along with the majority of his former congregation, transferred to the Anglican Province of Uganda, has accused the Bishop of Virginia of stretching the canons in declaring that his resignation was a renunciation of the ordained ministry.

“There is only one holy order to which a priest is ordained, and it is neither American nor Ugandan,” the Rev. J. Philip Ashey wrote in a Dec. 23 letter to the Rt. Rev. Peter J. Lee. “A resignation is not a renunciation. And by no stretch of the imagination can it be made so without my voluntary renunciation of ordained ministry.”

Fr. Ashey, who is now pastor of South Riding Anglican Church, previously informed Bishop Lee of his resignation, but refused to sign a letter of renunciation offered to him during the Nov. 14 meeting. His latest letter was in response to a Dec. 20 diocesan press release in which it was announced that Bishop Lee “consulted with the Standing Committee and, in accordance with Canon III.13, received the advice and consent of a majority of the clerical members of the Standing Committee to remove Mr. Ashey from the priesthood of the Episcopal Church.” The canon requires a written letter of renunciation.

In a number of other cases, bishops have deposed priests using Canon IV.10. Some canonical authorities view this as misuse of the canon. In seeking another approach, Bishop Lee has raised new concerns in removing someone in a manner outside the canonical specification.

“If your intent is to remove me as a minister of the Episcopal Church, the use of Canon III.13 is overbroad,” Fr. Ashey said. “I have only changed my ‘address’ from ECUSA to the Church of Uganda. “I have not renounced the ordained ministry—in fact, I have reaffirmed my orders and calling to ordained ministry in all of my communications.”

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