Excerpts from the reactions of some diocesan bishops to the 75th General Convention in Columbus, Ohio:

The Rt. Rev. Peter J. Lee, Bishop of Virginia

“The fact is the General Convention has responded substantially and seriously to the Windsor Report. But some did not get their way: gay and lesbian people and their supporters who feel we have stepped back, and the extreme right, who find it so difficult to work with those with whom they disagree. The vital center of the church is intact. Much of what convention accomplished is in the budget and in unheralded resolutions that strengthened the mission of the church. This convention demonstrated the pain of our differences but even more the promise of commitment to the mission of the Church.

The Rt. Rev. Keith Ackerman, bishop, and the standing committee of Quincy

“We have noted with sorrow that actions taken at the 75th General Convention in Columbus, Ohio, have caused an even greater chasm to exist between the American Province, and the Anglican Communion as articulated by the Lambeth Commission on Communion. We have failed to respond to the various Windsor Resolutions as requested by the primates, and we have elected a Presiding Bishop who is on record as not supporting the spirit and the words of those resolutions. Moreover, the General Convention failed to reaffirm the necessity of belief in Jesus Christ, as the only begotten Son of God, who is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” (St. John 14:6) Finally we approved the consecration to the episcopate of a priest who has been divorced twice and married three times. If the intention of this General Convention was to reconcile with the Anglican Communion, then we have failed.”

The bishops and deputies of the Diocese of Albany

“The media has focused on decisions of the General Convention, particularly, 1. the election of a woman as Presiding Bishop, 2. the approval of a thrice-married cleric as bishop coadjutor, and 3. the response of the Episcopal Church to the Windsor Report regarding the consecration of a homosexual bishop. All of these are major turning points in giving an identity to our church...We cannot predict how all this will develop both nationally and internationally. But, we are confident that the Diocese of Albany will continue to live as One Church, organized around the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. So long as we live to bring the Gospel to a hurting world, and to love one another, we will continue in conformity with the explicit will of Jesus.”

The Rt. Rev. Robert J. O’Neill, Bishop of Colorado

“Clearly, no one can be or will be completely satisfied by the outcome of this General Convention. Every one of us is being challenged in different ways to relinquish certain cherished and tightly held images of our church so that something new can be born both locally and globally among us. The process of rebirth—the act of dying and rising again—is never easy. But it is at the very center of our faith. It is the way of the cross, and it is, I believe, the way forward—neither a document nor legislative act, but a posture of the human heart. As our Presiding Bishop, Frank Griswold, said, 'I would hope that we would all leave this convention in a spirit of sober but hopeful dispossession.'”

The Rt. Rev. Samuel Johnson Howard, Bishop of Florida

“I have heard some say that The Episcopal Church did not do enough in responding to Windsor regarding the 2003 election of Bishop Robinson. Also, some are trying to paint our response to the Windsor Report as insufficient or imprecise. Yet the words speak loudly: ‘exercise restraint by not consenting to the consecration of any candidate to the episcopate whose manner of life presents a challenge to the wider church.’ The resolution not only satisfies the Windsor requirements, but goes beyond what Windsor asks in effecting a moratorium on all whose ‘manner of life’ is objectionable to our international brothers and sisters, not merely addressing one particular manner of life so specific to Windsor.”

The Rt. Rev. John Howe, Bishop of Central Florida

“We could not have had a clearer demonstration of how deeply divided we are over these very issues. On the one side were those who believe this is primarily a moral and theological matter: sexual intimacy is intended by God to be limited to marriage; we were wrong three years ago to confirm the election of a non-celibate gay man as a Bishop in the Church, and to tacitly approve same-gender blessings, thereby creating virtual schism in the Anglican Communion. On the other side, this is a justice issue: Homosexual men and women, gays and lesbians, have the same rights as heterosexual persons, and to deny those rights by refusing blessings, or access to any Christian ministry, is a total violation of Christ’s example and commandment to love others as he loves us. Both sides hold their positions with incredible passion and conviction … And so in the debate and finally in the voting, the ‘conservatives’ and the ‘liberals’ became more and more allied in their opposition to what was being proposed -- for opposite reasons! And the folks in the middle had no idea what was happening.”

The Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson, Bishop of New Hampshire

“We know how all this is going to end. It is not arrogant to say that we believe we know how all this is going to turn out. It will end with the full inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people in the life and ministry and leadership of the Church. It will take a long time. Some or all of us may not live to see it. But happen it will! In a strange way, I think the conservatives know it too. All we’re arguing about now is timing. It will be enough for each of us to play her/his own part. Each of us can provide a pair of shoulders for someone else to stand on, just as surely as we stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us. This is a never-ending march toward justice for all, and no one is going to be left behind. In the end, the reign of God will come. And oh what a

privilege it is for each of us to play a small part.”

The Rt. Rev. Edward Little II, Bishop of Northern Indiana

“...the Windsor Report dominated convention from start to finish. Every conversation was tinged with Windsor. We were all aware that the Anglican Communion was watching us...The most difficult discussion came over the issue of Windsor’s request for a moratorium on the consecration of any more persons living in a same-sex union until a new Anglican consensus emerges. The Special Legislative Committee on the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion (on which Christopher Wells and I served) presented a resolution to Convention asking that we refrain from such consecrations. After a long and difficult debate, the House of Deputies rejected it. The five bishop members of the Special Committee (I was among them) then drafted a substitute … While the resolution is not perfect (no resolution is!), I believe that it responds positively and in a substantial way to the Windsor Report’s request. I am delighted, and in fact a bit awed, that in the end a broad coalition of bishops and deputies came together for the sake of the Communion. This action fills me with hope for the future.”

The bishops of Maryland

The center held (often in moving ways). Both the Presiding Bishop and Presiding Bishop-elect were helpful in keeping our feet to the fire: we responded faithfully to all the requests of the Windsor report and also pledged to continue to work for full inclusion of gays and lesbians in our Church and in the Communion. Compromise has always been at the heart of Anglicanism, and we were all asked to make sacrifices for the good of the whole. Sacrifice hurts -- all of us have felt wounded in this Convention -- yet most of us acknowledge that the cross is the very basis of our Christian faith and an avenue to deeper life. The cross requires that we willingly elect to make sacrifices -- the good people who gathered in Columbus did just that.

The Rt. Rev. John Lipscomb, Bishop of Southwest Florida

“I am deeply concerned by the reaction of the 75th General Convention to the request made by the Lambeth Commission which produced the Windsor Report. A vote at our 2005 diocesan convention made clear by a 2-1 margin that it desired to remain in the Anglican Communion and to live into the Windsor process. In addition, the diocese has voiced its deep concern regarding the blessing of same-gendered unions and the ordination of those living in such relationships. Following the vote in the House of Bishops on resolution B033, I made a personal statement regarding my disappointment and sadness that we had waited until the 11th hour to even to address the Windsor Report, and certainly was saddened by our inability to respond in a spirit of humility to our Communion.”

The Rt. Rev. Edward Salmon, Bishop of South Carolina

“I write in sadness to tell you that the General Convention of the Episcopal Church taken as a whole did not respond adequately to the plea of the Anglican Communion as expressed in the Windsor Report. A number of bishops in the Church of England and Primates throughout the Anglican Communion have agreed with this assessment...Many more similar actions could be mentioned, but the point is clear: the Episcopal Church as its leadership understands itself to be is at fundamental odds with the majority of the Anglican Communion as well as our common vision here in the Diocese of South Carolina.”

The Rt. Rev. Jack L. Iker, Bishop of Fort Worth

“For me, personally, being in a diocese that doesn't accept the ordination of women ... It puts us in a compromising position to be told we are now under primatial authority of someone that we question whether really is a bishop. It’s nothing against Katharine [Jefferts] Schori. It’s a theological position. We believe that ordination of women is a fundamental break with apostolic tradition.”

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