My bet is the one abstention was Bishop Howe himself!!
MLW+
An open letter to the people and clergy of Central Florida
June 29, 2006
Feast of Saint Peter and Saint Paul
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
The Bishop, Standing Committee, and Diocesan Board of the Diocese of
Central Florida, meeting jointly in Orlando on June 29, 2006, wish to
reflect upon the events of the week following General Convention.
We welcome the statement of the Archbishop of Canterbury, issued June 27,
2006, in which he concurs with our assessment that the Episcopal Church fell
short of the Windsor Report's requests and suggests the possibility that the
Episcopal Church may risk losing its status as a constituent member of the
Communion, which is an a priori requirement of the Preamble of the
Constitution of the Episcopal Church.
We are deeply saddened at the election of a presiding bishop of The
Episcopal Church who consented to the consecration of Gene Robinson in 2003,
who supported the blessing of same sex unions in the Diocese of Nevada, and
who, in her first sermon following the election, spoke of "Jesus, our
mother." We believe her actions as a diocesan bishop call into question her
ability to lead The Episcopal Church in the process of healing and
restoration clearly outlined in The Windsor Report.
We renounce the unwillingness of the 75th General Convention fully to
embrace the requests made of The Episcopal Church in The Windsor Report,
most notably its failure to agree to a moratorium on the blessing of
same-sex unions.
We disassociate this diocese from Resolution A-095 which opposes "any state
or federal constitutional amendment that prohibits same-sex civil marriage
or civil unions." This resolution gives, in effect, the endorsement of the
Church on same-sex civil marriage.
We solemnly remind the clergy of this diocese of our diocesan canons which
prohibit the blessing of same-sex relationships and require the clergy of
this diocese to model the received teachings of the church with respect to
sexuality. We stand ready to enforce them.
The serious consequences of the actions, inactions and errors of the 74th
and 75th General Convention have resulted in a constitutional crisis within
The Episcopal Church with respect to its stated status as "Constituent
Member of the Anglican Communion". The Episcopal Church has signaled to the
faithful within the Episcopal Church a desire to "walk apart" from not only
the Anglican Communion but also the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church
of Christ to which this Diocese has acknowledged its allegiance to be due.
We declare that we are a diocese in protest over these errors and the
leaders who support them.
It is our firm intent to remain a diocese with constituent member status in
the Anglican Communion. Our membership in the Anglican Communion Network has
offered us much solace, knowing that we are in communion with the entire
Anglican Communion. Now, in the past week, at least four of these dioceses
have done what we believe we must also do. We hereby appeal to the
Archbishop of Canterbury, the panel of reference, and the Primates of the
Anglican Communion for immediate alternative primatial oversight. We
understand that none of our actions violate the canons of the Episcopal
Church.
The Constitution of our diocese makes it clear that our ultimate loyalty is
to the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church of Christ. In preparation
for our Convention on January 27 2007, we will study the constitutional
crisis in which we find ourselves and consider the various constitutional,
canonical, financial, and spiritual options available.
We realize that this letter will not be met with joy by all of the members
of this diocese. To those who dissent, we pledge to you the ongoing
faithful and loving ministry of this diocese. Jesus Christ is Lord of His
Church. He holds us each in his loving arms. He is the Alpha and the
Omega, and therefore knows the end of the story. To Him be the glory.
PASSED UNANIMOUSLY (with one abstention)
--
To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: faithandlife-unsubscribe@...