Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori said she “laments” the action taken by the annual convention of the Diocese of San Joaquin this weekend to “repudiate their membership in The Episcopal Church.”

In a statement released Dec. 4, Bishop Jefferts Schori said that while final approval of the constitutional changes will require a vote at next year’s diocesan convention, “the fact that the Bishop and Convention have voted to remove the accession clause required by the Constitution and Canons of The Episcopal Church would seem to imply that there is no intent to terminate this process before it reaches its full conclusion.

“I deeply lament the pain, confusion, and suffering visited on loyal members of The Episcopal Church within the Diocese of San Joaquin, and want them to know of my prayers and the prayers of many, many others,” she wrote. “I continue to consult with others involved in responding to this extracanonical action.”

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