In response to persistent rumors surrounding his candidacy for the election of a Presiding Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Francisco J. Duque-Gomez, Bishop of Colombia, said he has no intention of withdrawing.

“Nothing is much more far away from my intentions than to take such action,” he said when questioned by a colleague in the House of Bishops who shared portions of the e-mail response with The Living Church.

Bishop Duque has declined most requests for personal interviews, including one from TLC. Rather than evaluating his candidacy based on his position on the issues, Bishop Duque hopes that his colleagues will consider him if they believe the Holy Spirit is calling them to do so, he said.

Colombia is one of 10 international dioceses of the Episcopal Church. The others are: Ecuador Central, Ecuador Litoral, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Honduras, Puerto Rico, Taiwan, Venezuela and the Virgin Islands. There are two additional international judicatories under the direction of the Presiding Bishop. They are the Convocation of American Churches in Europe and the Episcopal Church in Micronesia.

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