Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori will attend the annual convention of the Diocese of Los Angeles Dec. 5-6. Her attendance offers her an opportunity to reveal part of her strategy for General Convention in July, because the convention agenda in Los Angeles includes a resolution that calls on General Convention to repeal a controversial resolution approved three years ago. That resolution, known as B033, discourages dioceses from consenting to the consecration of partnered homosexuals as bishops.
 
The Diocese of Los Angeles is the fifth largest in The Episcopal Church in terms of baptized members, according to the Episcopal Church Annual which lists 67,633 members for the diocese in the 2008 edition. The diocese and its bishop, the Rt. Rev. J. Jon Bruno, have been vocal supporters of same-sex marriage since the California State Supreme Court mandated that the state treat solemnized same-sex unions the same as heterosexual marriage earlier this year, a decision that was reversed when voters approved a referendum last month to the state constitution. Los Angeles is also the host diocese of General Convention, which will meet in Anaheim July 8-17.
 
Bishop Jefferts Schori’s appearance at the Los Angeles diocesan convention follows a statement she issued in observance of World AIDS Day on Dec. 1. More than half of the worldwide Anglican Communion lives in countries destabilized by epidemic rates of HIV infection, including several dioceses of The Episcopal Church, she said. She added that parish communities in The Episcopal Church have been responding to HIV and AIDS for more than 25 years.
 
“I urge all Episcopalians living in the United States to ask President-elect Obama and his administration to make the fight against AIDS at home and around the world a priority, even in difficult economic times,” she said. “As our church year begins, it is especially appropriate to remember, pray, and work together to alleviate the suffering inflicted by this disease and its consequences.”
 
The Living Church magazine Online Edition lets you read your copy the day it’s printed, and for just $24.50 for one year! Click here for complete details.