Citing Deposition Threat, Pittsburgh Moves Up Diocesan Convention

Posted on: June 13, 2008

Bishop Robert Duncan of Pittsburgh announced in a letter to all clergy and lay deputies that the diocese’s annual convention has been moved to Oct. 4, about one month earlier than in previous years.

“The date and place of the annual convention having been previously set, I am announcing this change under the provisions of Article II, Section 2, of the constitution of the diocese,” Bishop Duncan wrote. “The expressed threat of deposition of the diocesan bishop at a September meeting of the House of Bishops is the ‘sufficient cause’.”

Last week the diocese reported receiving three resolutions for consideration during this year’s annual convention. Resolution one states the Diocese of Pittsburgh shall be a member of the Anglican Church of the Southern Cone, based in Argentina. Resolution two spells out how the disaffiliation period will occur. Resolution three explicitly states “that the adoption of the Constitution and Canons of The Episcopal Church as advisory policies by the diocese should in no way be interpreted to suggest that The Episcopal Church has any authority over the diocese, any parish of the diocese, or any clergy of the diocese.”

It is possible that other resolutions will be filed before the deadline, said Peter Frank, director of communication. He said diocesan polity requires that all resolutions be filed at least 60 days before the start of convention, but grants the presiding officer of convention broad discretion to consider resolutions of significant importance to be considered if filed after that date.

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has repeatedly warned Bishop Duncan and several other bishops whose conventions have taken initial steps to disaffiliate from The Episcopal Church. She has called a special meeting of the House of Bishops Sept. 17-19 in Salt Lake City.

After the spring House of Bishops’ meeting she polled members of the house to see if there was sufficient interest to hold the special meeting before next month’s Lambeth Conference. In April, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that David Booth Beers, chancellor to the Presiding Bishop, had sent an e-mail message to about two dozen Pittsburgh Episcopalians saying that Bishop Jefferts Schori was not “seeking approval to proceed; rather, she seeks the mind of the House as to when to proceed” with a vote to remove Bishop Duncan” from the ordained ministry.

This article comes from The Living Church Foundation
http://www.livingchurch.org/

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