The House of Bishops brushed aside procedural challenges and deposed Bishop Robert Duncan of Pittsburgh from the ordained ministry of The Episcopal Church Sept. 18.
The final tally was 88 yes, 35 no, with four abstentions, according to one bishop. Those results are not official, however.
Present were 128 bishops. Not present were 15 who could not attend for a variety of reasons, including the bishops of Texas who are dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Ike. Nine did not respond and were not present, according to Episcopal News Service.
Immediately after his deposition from the House of Bishops of The Episcopal Church, Bishop Duncan was welcomed into the House of Bishops of the Anglican Church of the Southern Cone, according to Presiding Bishop Gregory Venables.
“As was resolved by resolution made at the Provincial Synod in Valparaiso last November 2007, we are happy to welcome Bishop Duncan into the Province of the Southern Cone as a member of our House of Bishops, effective immediately,” Bishop Venables said. “Neither the Presiding Bishop nor the House of Bishops of The Episcopal Church has any further jurisdiction over his ministry. We pray for all Anglicans in Pittsburgh as they consider their own relationship with The Episcopal Church in the coming weeks.”
While Bishop Duncan continues to believe that the deposition is unlawful, he will not challenge it prior to the end of the Diocese of Pittsburgh’s annual convention unless forced to do so by the leadership of The Episcopal Church. On Oct. 4, diocesan convention deputies will consider the second and final reading of a constitutional change that would realign the diocese with the Province of the Southern Cone.
With the passage of that constitutional change, the diocese will be free to welcome Bishop Duncan back as its bishop. In the meantime, under the diocese’s governing documents, the standing committee will serve as the diocese’s ecclesiastical authority.
“This is of course a very painful moment for Pittsburgh Episcopalians,” said the Rev. David Wilson, president of the standing committee. “The leadership of The Episcopal Church has inserted itself in a most violent manner into the affairs and governance of our diocese. While we await the decision of the diocesan convention on realignment to a different province of the Anglican Communion, we will stand firm against any further attempts by those outside our boundaries to intimidate us.”
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6 Comments
This is a sad day for the Episcopal Church.... The Presiding Bishop got her way thus paving thye path for even greater power. The love of power and money will destroy thye Church. May God have mercy on those who voted YES.
Your headline is factually incorrect. The deposition was impossible for any number of serious canonical considerations. Please correct it to state, "House of Bishops Claims to Have Deposed Bishop Duncan."
This is a very sad moment for the Episcopal Church. Instead of reaching out to the Diocese of Pittsburgh in attempts at reconciliation, the Presiding Bishop and her supporters have ensured that the Diocese of Pittsburgh will secede from the Episcopal Church and join the Anglican Church of the Southern Cone.
The very act of deposition is questionable both canonically and ethically. Now we have a Church were people are prosecuted before they violate canon law, with due process thrown out the window. God help us.
I feel certain that the devil incarnate has entered the confines of the TEC. What kind of women is this Presiding Bishop? She shows no signs of being a Christian. Someday she will meet her maker and I feel sorry for her
The unfortunate thing is this......by the actions of the so-called "Presiding Bishop" there is no TEC any more. One must think and pray before "pronouncing judgment on their peers, or is there no such process anymore!!! What of the Canons? I guess it doesn't matter for this "Presiding Bishop and her supporters, whether there is due process or not. Poor babies, their pacifier has been taken from them, so let's ignore the Canons and start deposing! Whose next?
May God have mercy on the TEC.
I find the comments posted to indicate much anger but little thought and even less charity. There seems to be anger that one perspective is dismissed but little willingness to understand another perspective. You want respect but are not willing to give any, you want understanding but not to reciprocate. Where is the spirit of Christ?
Thom