Bishop John-David Schofield of San Joaquin has responded to the open letter sent to him by Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori. In his letter, Bishop Schofield thanked Bishop Jefferts Schori for her “pastoral tone,” and reminded her that the crisis facing The Episcopal Church could be averted if she would but implement the recommendations she agreed to last February in the primates’ communiqué.
 
This weekend the convention of the Diocese of San Joaquin is scheduled to vote on the second reading of changes to its constitution and canons which if approved would remove all references implying that the diocese is part of The Episcopal Church. The dioceses of Fort Worth and Pittsburgh approved the first reading of similar changes to their constitution and canons last month. Bishop Jefferts Schori also wrote those bishops prior to their conventions.
 
“The Anglican Church of the Southern Cone has graciously offered the diocese sanctuary on a temporary and emergency basis,” Bishop Schofield wrote on Dec. 5. “This action is unprecedented, but so, too, are the apostate actions of The Episcopal Church that make these protective measures necessary. The invitation of the Southern Cone is a matter of public record. In essence it embodies the solution agreed upon by you and the rest of the Anglican leaders at Dar es Salaam to provide adequate, acceptable Alternative Primatial Oversight. To endorse this as a way forward need not be a final nor irreconcilable commitment. Should it be the will of our annual convention to accept this most generous gift, I will welcome the opportunity implied in your letter to discuss how it impacts our relationship.”
 
In the event that the San Joaquin convention declines the invitation from the Southern Cone, Bishop Schofield said he would follow the Presiding Bishop’s recommendation and return to the House of Bishops as a loyal member of the opposition.
 
“To do anything else would be to abandon God’s people of San Joaquin and, in the end, prove to be a hireling and not a shepherd. For me, at least, this is the honorable course that the Lord would have me follow.”
 
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