Episcopalians may
pick gay priest
1 of 6 candidates
considered for bishop of Newark Diocese
By AP from the Home
News Tribune Online September 23, 2006
NEWARK, NJ -- An openly gay
priest is among six candidates for bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark at
a time when divisions over the Bible and sexuality are threatening the
denomination and the worldwide Anglican family.
The election today in the historically liberal diocese would normally be a
mostly local event.
But a win by Canon Michael Barlowe, 51, would put the diocese at the center of a
crisis over whether Anglicans who disagree about ordaining gays can stay in the
same fellowship.
Episcopalians and Anglicans on all sides of the issue will be watching, said the
Rev. J. Robert Wright, professor of church history at General Theological
Seminary in New York. The Episcopal Church is the U.S. representative of
the global Anglican Communion.
"For some people, this election would be courting danger," Wright said.
"For other people, his election would be an eloquent testimony to the ideals
held by the gay and lesbian movement within the church."
The feud erupted in 2003, after the Episcopal Church consecrated its first
openly gay bishop, V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire.
His supporters believe the Bible's social-justice teachings trump what they view
as an outdated understanding of homosexuality in Scripture.
But the majority of overseas Anglican leaders believe the Bible bans gay
relationships and they have demanded that Episcopalians either follow that
teaching or leave the communion.
In June, the Episcopal General Convention, the church's top policymaking body,
voted to ask U.S. bishops to "exercise restraint by not consenting to the
consecration" of candidates "whose manner of life presents a challenge to the
wider church." However, the measure is not binding.
The new Newark bishop will be chosen today by 339 lay people and nearly 200
clergy from the diocese.
He or she must then be approved nationally by diocesan standing committees,
which are panels of local lay people and clergy similar to a board of directors,
and a majority of the more than 100 Episcopal bishops who lead U.S. dioceses.
If Barlowe wins today, his confirmation by the national committee is far from
guaranteed, as Episcopal bishops will be weighing the impact of his election on
relations with the wider Anglican world.
Barlowe did not return messages from The Associated Press. Sean McConnell, a
spokesman for the Episcopal Diocese of California in San Francisco, said all the
candidates had chosen not to speak until after the election.
The Rev. Sandye Wilson, a member of the nominating committee, said Barlowe was
put on the ballot mostly because of his current job as officer for
congregational development for the Diocese of California in San Francisco, not
for the message it would send about sexuality.
Members of the nominating committee for the diocese, which serves about 35,000
people in seven northern New Jersey counties, said they need someone with direct
experience growing parishes and thinking strategically about their mission.
"We were not trying to make a statement," Wilson said. "We didn't want to
discriminate against this man's gifts and skills. We did not want to leave
him off because he was gay."
The Rev. Elizabeth Kaeton, leader of St. Paul's Church, a progressive
congregation in Chatham, said she plans to vote for Barlowe, who has been with
his partner for 24 years.
"For me it's, 'Can we get over this?"' she said. "Can I just be a priest,
not a woman priest, not a lesbian priest? After 20 years of ordination can
I just be a priest?"
But the Rev. F. Ellen A. Donnelly, co-pastor with her husband at St. Michael's
Church, a conservative parish in Wayne, said choosing Barlowe would cause an
uproar.
"I think that at this time the repercussions of electing a gay person are very,
very serious," Donnelly said.
The other nominees for bishop are the Rev. Mark Beckwith of Worcester, Mass.;
the Rt. Rev. Dr. Carol Joy Gallagher of Newark; the Rev. William A. Potter of
Hope; the Very Rev. Petero Sabune of Ossining, N.Y.; and the Rev. William Stokes
of Delray Beach, Fla.
Others in the diocese say Barlowe's sexuality is far from the only issue shaping
their vote.
Donnelly said she is more concerned with the health and vitality of the church
in the Newark diocese.
The Rev. Darlene Tittle, of Christ Church in Mount Olive, said she doesn't think
Barlowe has enough experience for the job.
"His maturity level did not seem as high as some of the other candidates,"
Tittle said. "Maybe for a bishop he needs another 10 years."
Donnelly would also like a new bishop who would welcome parishes like hers,
which are more conservative and in the minority for the progressive Newark
diocese.
"We want a bishop who really practices what we preach about inclusion, to
include people like us," she said.
Kaeton acknowledges that Barlowe won't be an easy winner.
"It's a longshot," she said, "absolutely."
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