TWENTY-FOUR EPISCOPAL CHURCH BISHOPS

DECLARE "IMPAIRED COMMUNION" WITH CANADIAN DIOCESE OF NEW WESTMINSTER; COMMIT TO "COMMON RESPONSES" WITH

WORLDWIDE ANGLICAN LEADERS

TO ADDRESS CRISIS IN THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH.

(By Bruce Mason, American Anglican Council, July 18, 2003)

In a July 15th "Open Letter to the Concerned Primates of the Anglican Communion," twenty-four Episcopal Church bishops joined with worldwide Anglican leaders (Primates) in declaring a state of "impaired communion," or broken relationship, with the Canadian Diocese of New Westminster.
 

The bishops also declared that they are now prepared to act together with these Primates "to commit to common responses to the deteriorating situation within the Episcopal Church." The Episcopal Church is embroiled in a deepening crisis over the election of the openly homosexual Canon Gene Robinson as Bishop Coadjutor of New Hampshire, and the potential development
of liturgical rites for same-sex "blessings." (The full text of the bishops' letter and the list of signatories appear below.)

"We begin by stating that we utterly repudiate the recent actions of the Synod and the Bishop of the Diocese of New Westminster in authorizing liturgies for blessing same-sex partnerships...," wrote the bishops. "We now join in your declaration of impaired communion with the Bishop and Diocese of New Westminster."

In early June, fourteen Anglican Primates issued a statement of concern in response to the New Westminster crisis in which they charged that "by deliberately and intentionally abandoning the established Anglican consensus, [the bishop of New Westminster] placed himself and his diocese in an automatic state of impaired communion with the majority within the Anglican Communion." Additional Primates have since added their name to this statement.

Addressing the crisis in ECUSA, the Episcopal bishops declared in their letter their strong opposition to the recent election of the openly homosexual Canon Gene Robinson as Bishop Coadjutor in New Hampshire, and the potential development of liturgies for same-sex "blessings."
 

"The election in New Hampshire of a man who openly confesses an active homosexual relationship to be Bishop Coadjutor, and the inclusion of a measure affirming the blessing of same-sex unions on the agenda of the upcoming General Convention, both serve as symbols of a desperately confused, errant and disintegrating Anglican province," said the Bishops.

General Convention, which will be held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, from July 30-August 8, will vote on whether or not to give consent to Canon Robinson's election. Convention is also likely to vote on a resolution that would authorize the development of same-sex liturgies.

"In the face of these looming departures from evangelical truth and catholic order, and in line with our commitment to oppose all such innovations in every Godly way, we do hereby affirm the moral and spiritual authority of you, the "Concerned Primates" of the Anglican Communion, and do join in commitment with you to address the situation under your leadership," wrote
the bishops.

"We desire to act in concert with you, and are ready to take counsel from you.  We pledge solidarity with you in sharing common faith and practice within an Anglicanism that is submitted to her sovereign Lord, true to his holy Word, and at one with his catholic Church."

The bishops concluded:

"We take these actions and make these commitments in order that Anglicans everywhere might ever be numbered among the mainstream witnesses of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ, who alone is true God and true man, the only Savior of humankind, whose disciples are ever constrained by the plain sense of God's Word written."

The full text of the Bishops' Letter:

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE CONCERNED PRIMATES OF THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION

Most Reverend Fathers in God:

As Bishops of the Church catholic with jurisdiction (or office) in the Episcopal Church in the United States of America (ECUSA) we are speaking to address the crisis of Faith and Order that is increasingly unfolding among us, among our brothers and sisters in Christ in the Anglican Church of Canada, and, for now, in limited other places throughout our worldwide Anglican Communion.

We begin by stating that we utterly repudiate the recent actions of the Synod and the Bishop of the Diocese of New Westminster in authorizing liturgies for blessing same-sex partnerships.  At the same time, we wish to speak in more detail to the unfolding situation in the Episcopal Church, among whose leaders we have been called and consecrated.

The election in New Hampshire of a man who openly confesses an active homosexual relationship to be Bishop Coadjutor, and the inclusion of a measure affirming the blessing of same-sex unions on the agenda of the upcoming General Convention, both serve as symbols of a desperately confused, errant and disintegrating Anglican province.  At stake are the fundamental doctrines of apostolicity and of marriage. The confirmation by national synodical vote of the bishop-elect or the adoption of any same-sex marriage provisions would be unparalleled departures from received church order and universal church teaching.  We further regret to have to state that it is our assessment that the likelihood of the approval of these church-rending innovations has been dramatically increased by a letter sent by our Presiding Bishop to all bishops of this province, a letter which can have no other interpretation than encouragement for confirmation of the New Hampshire election.

In the face of these looming departures from evangelical truth and catholic order, and in line with our commitment to oppose all such innovations in every Godly way, we do hereby affirm the moral and spiritual authority of you, the "Concerned Primates" of the Anglican Communion, and do join in commitment with you to address the situation under your leadership.  We desire to act in concert with you, and are ready to take counsel from you. We pledge solidarity with you in sharing common faith and practice within an Anglicanism that is submitted to her sovereign Lord, true to his holy Word, and at one with his Catholic Church.

We now join in your declaration of impaired communion with the Bishop and Diocese of New Westminster.  We also join you in affirming bonds of fellowship and communion with those in the Diocese of New Westminster (ACiNW) who have stood firm in resisting that conciliar and Episcopal authority which has exceeded its legitimate boundaries.  We further state that we stand ready, in concert with you, to commit to common responses to the deteriorating situation within the Episcopal Church, and elsewhere.  We take these actions and make these commitments in order that Anglicans everywhere might ever be numbered among the mainstream witnesses of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ, who alone is true God and true man, the only Savior of humankind, whose disciples are ever constrained by the plain sense of God's Word written.

15th July, A.D. 2003

St. Swithun's Day

SIGNED: