Episcopal church
calls for civility
By RICK MALWITZ,
Staff Writer thnt.com Online, September 22, 2007
In calling for civility in the
dispute that threatens to cause a split between the worldwide Anglican Church
and the Episcopal Church in the United States, the head of the American church
used the Rutgers women's basketball team as an example of how to ease tension.
In a last-ditch effort at reconciliation over the potential split -- caused when
the Episcopal Church approved the ordination of gay bishops -- a delegation of
American bishops met in New Orleans in a closed-door session Thursday with Rowan
Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the head of the Anglican Church.
During an address at the convention, Katharine Jefferts Schori, the presiding
bishop of the Episcopal Church, lamented how language can be "violent," and made
mention of Don Imus's derogatory references on the radio directed at the
Rutgers' women's team.
"What (Imus) said about them implied they are not my equal, they are not worthy
of dignity, and (the team) responded with an invitation to conversation.
When you and I can meet our rhetorical opponents with an invitation rather than
judgment, remarkable things can happen -- conversation becomes possible," Schori
said.
She added, "We have lived in this church and in this communion for a number of
years with abundant disdain, violent words, and destructive action toward those
who hold positions at variance with our own. None of us is wholly free of
blame in this game."
A deadline of Sept. 30 for compliance with the worldwide church was set earlier
this year, when the Anglican Church called for the 2.4 million member Episcopal
Church to renounce the blessing of same-sex marriages and agree to no longer
allow non-celibate homosexuals to become bishops.
A majority of American bishops are not inclined to agree with the worldwide
body, and the tension threatens to split a relationship between Episcopalians
and Anglicans, and has already divided Episcopalians in the United States.
Citing the Rutgers' women as examples of how to lessen tension, "was an
appropriate comparison," said Rev. Greg Bezilla, the Episcopal chaplain at
Rutgers. He likened comments Imus made about African-American women at
Rutgers to comments often made about homosexuals.
"For so many people who are gay or lesbian, they are used to being disregarded,
and insulted," said Bezilla.
Bezilla does not anticipate the Episcopal Church will yield to the Anglican
demands. "My expectations are that the bishops will not accept any
proposal that would infringe on their own autonomy and authority as national
church," he said.
"The truth of the gospel is that Jesus proclaimed acceptance for all, and that
he broke down barriers wherever he found them," said Rev. Karin R. Mitchell, the
rector of the St. David's Episcopal Church in Cranbury.
Mitchell also praised the work of Schori, whose position as the head of the
American body caused an additional strain among Anglicans who differ on the role
of women in the church.
"She has been a wonderful leader and a real symbol of reconciliation, while she
proclaims the truth of Jesus' call of love and acceptance of all our brothers
and sisters," said Mitchell.
The ordination of homosexual bishops has already caused a split in the American
church, with a handful of parishes in the United States, including several large
parishes in the Washington, D.C. area, splitting from the Anglican Church and
aligning with a Nigerian bishop.
Opposing the majority position in the United States is Rev. Bill Guerard of St.
George's Episcopal Church in Helmetta, who said the naming of homosexual bishops
is "a contradiction to the teachings of the Bible."
Tensions over Bible interpretation erupted in 2003, when Episcopalians
consecrated the first openly gay bishop, V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire.
Archbishop Williams suggested Thursday that Episcopalians show greater concern
about the impact of their decisions on the wider Anglican Communion, according
to Canon Jim Naughton, spokesman for the Diocese of Washington.
Williams asked Episcopal bishops "how far they were willing to go," Naughton
said, to preserve the communion, a 77-million-member group of churches with
roots in the Church of England.
Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.
Rick Malwitz: (732) 565-7291
Rmalwitz@thnt.com.
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