By Peter James Lee
July 17, 2007
On January 22, 2007, I inhibited you from exercising your priestly ministry on the basis that by your actions, you had abandoned the communion of the Episcopal Church.
The six month period is nearing which will conclude your opportunity to retract your actions and I am writing in the hope that you might do so.
The fact is that the Diocese of Virginia has taken no actions to interfere with your theological convictions or your ministry prior to your abandonment of the communion of the Episcopal Church. We have a large tent and you are welcome to to remain in it.
I hope very much that you will retract your actions of abandoning this communion and return to the family of the Episcopal Church.
I hope you have noticed that the Archbishop of Canterbury is not inviting Bishops from the Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA) nor from the American Mission in America (AMiA) to the Lambeth Conference which raises the significant question whether churches associated with groups like that can be considered Anglican. My hope is that you will give prayerful consideration to returning to the communion of the Episcopal Church and offer your considerable gifts within our community.
The six months period expires on July 22, 2007. I will be out of the country at a consultation on mission at that time so I am not likely to remove you from the ministry of the Episcopal Church until I return late on July 27.
The church is weakened by your absence and strengthened by your presence and my prayer is that you might consider returning to your appropriate place within our communion.
---Peter James Lee is the Bishop of the Diocese of Virginia
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