Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold told The Living Church he is encouraged that the House of Bishops seemed to be of a common mind by the conclusion of the March 17-22 spring retreat, the last at which Bishop Griswold will preside.

“I am very confident as we look ahead to June that the bishops, together with the deputies, will make wise and faithful decisions that will serve the gospel,” he said. “I pray that what we do will be a blessing both to our Church and to our brothers and sisters across the Anglican Communion.”

Bishop Griswold said one of his most memorable impressions during the retreat was the day the bishops spent with theologians from different parts of the world. He said he and others present came to a deeper understanding of the impact that the actions of the “superpower culture” in the Episcopal Church can have on the rest of the world.

The idea to issue a pastoral letter on the sin of racism, the first such letter since 1994, was first suggested by the Rt. Rev. John L. Rabb, Bishop suffragan of Maryland, according to Bishop Griswold. The letter, which the bishops asked be read to every congregation as soon as possible, calls on all Episcopalians to strive toward the vision of God’s shining city on a hill as described in the Book of Isaiah.

“Racism is a radical affront to the good gift of God, both in the creation described in Genesis, and in the reality of the incarnation,” the bishops’ pastoral letter said. “If we judge one class or race or gender better than another, we violate that desire which God has made. And when our social and cultural systems exacerbate or codify such judgments, we do violence to that which God has made.”

Since 1994, the House of Bishops has made an ongoing commitment to eliminating the sin of racism and Bishop Griswold said he believed that a similar commitment to healing by the 75th General Convention would contribute to unity. Despite apprehension in some quarters as General Convention approaches, Bishop Griswold said he tried to share his own sense of confidence with the bishops during their retreat at the Kanuga Camp and Conference Center in North Carolina.

“I reminded the bishops that before meetings of the General Convention there are always all sorts of predictions of what will happen,” he said. “Therefore it is very important that we stay centered and focused on Christ’s mission to our broken world.”

To find more news, feature articles, and commentary not available online, we invite you to subscribe to The Living Church magazine. To learn more, click here.