Four bishops have been selected as nominees to succeed the Most Rev. Frank Griswold as Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church. The Joint Nominating Committee for the Election of the Presiding Bishop made the announcement Jan. 25.

The nominees include the Rt. Rev. J. Neil Alexander, Bishop of Atlanta; the Rt. Rev. Edwin F. Gulick, Jr., Bishop of Kentucky; the Rt. Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Bishop of Nevada; and the Rt. Rev. Henry N. Parsley, Jr., Bishop of Alabama. Their names will be formally submitted to General Convention at a joint session on June 17, and the House of Bishops is scheduled to elect the 26th Presiding Bishop the following day.

The Joint Nominating Committee consisted of 29 persons, including one bishop, clergy and lay person from each of the nine provinces of the Episcopal Church, elected by the House of Bishops, and two young persons appointed by the President of the House of Deputies. The committee has met five times, and working groups have served on interview teams. The committee held its final meeting Jan. 20-22 at the Duncan Conference Center, Delray Beach, Fla.

The House of Bishops, at its September 2005 meeting, resolved that the House will consider only those additional nominations by bishops or deputies to the 2006 General Convention that are made with time sufficient to conduct the background, medical and psychological examinations required of all nominees. It set a date of April 1, 2006, for receipt of those nominations, which will be considered nominations from the floor. Such nominations are to be made in writing to the Rt. Rev. Peter J. Lee, Bishop of Virginia and the Bishop Co-Chair of the Joint Nominating Committee; assent must be received in writing by the bishop nominated.

“We believe any of the persons named, if elected, and with God's help and the prayerful support of the Church, can provide the leadership required in the Episcopal Church at this time,” the committee stated in announcing the nominees.

Episcopal News Service contributed to this report.

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