Now Kenya has joined Nigeria, Rwanda, et al. in ordaining missionary bishops to tend to poor American Episcopalians Anglicans lacking any pastoral care over the issue of gays in the ministry. (One wonders how often the subject comes up in discussions, sermons, parish issues, etc. for those conservatives that they actually need a bishop of their own to pastor to them).
While it hardly bears mentioning the irksome hypocrisy involved in this (falsely lambasting the Episcopal Church for “ignoring” the Windsor Report while ignoring its provisions that other provinces should not cross-ordain bishops in Episcopal territory; ignoring the request of the Archbishop of Canterbury to not do such a thing by performing the ordinations a few days before the ABC returns form sabbatical), two items from the episode are worth noting:
- Abp. Drexel Gomez, who is chair of the Covenant Design Group — which is tasked with designing a “covenant” to draw together the Anglican Communion — preached at the ordinations. Hey, way to even pretend to act as a neutral party, acting in the interest of tradition and the Communion, Abp. Gomez! Yay!
- Bps. Duncan and Iker of the US, ostensibly part of the Episcopal Church, and certainly bishops who have touted the Windsor Report as a binding document on the Episcopal Church, attended the ordinations which flew in the face of both the Windsor Report and their vows to the Episcopal Church. Hey, way to lead in an integrated and respectable fashion, bishops! Yay!
How can Abp. Gomez claim to be looking toward developing the rules of how the Anglican Communion works together when he’s making a very clear statement about how he feels it should work — i.e., that the Episcopal Church’s boundaries (and, by implication, any “heretical” province’s boudaries) need not be respected.
Further, how can Bps. Duncan and Iker continue to claim to be Episcopal bishops when they actively support action against the Episcopal Church. Will TEC kick the out before they decide it’s time for themselves to leave?
(via Fr Jake)
That event must have been planned for quite a while; it’s disturbing to think of Archbishop Gomez mouthing platitudes at various meetings while he was working on his sermon.
It’s clear that they have had revolution on their minds all along, not reformation or reasserting traditional Scriptural views. The use of Scriptural means to justify their political ends disgusts me. But not all African bishops are on board with cross-border poaching: Bishop Mwamba of Botswana for one questions just how important the issue of gay clergy and bishops is to rank-and-file African clergy and laity.
Dang, I’m taking a lazy Sunday off, and I just realized that today’s Coffee Hour is likely to be really, really interesting, as we have nominees to discuss and ponder. It’s a matter of some disappointment that the slate is so monochromatic, but apparently in spite of a lot of trouble taken by the committee to get the word out to clergy of color, nobody of color applied. But the petition process is open until 11SEP, so perhaps there will be a bit more diversity added.
I’m not one for conspiracy theories, but aside from the Keystone Kops collection of African provinces who *are* poaching, there does seem to be a concerted effort going on.