In a display of now unparalleled and unprecedented lawlessness for an ordained bishop, the Primate of All the Episcopal Church (USA) has thrown down the gauntlet to the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Anglican Communion as a whole. She has declared that on the basis of a letter written to her by the Rt. Rev. Henry Scriven, the former Assistant Bishop of Pittsburgh, on October 16, 2008, she has “accepted [his] renunciation of the Ordained Ministry of this Church . . . [and that he] is, therefore, removed from the Ordained Ministry of this Church and released from the obligations of all Ministerial offices, and is deprived of the right to exercise the gifts and spiritual authority as a Minister of God’s Word and Sacraments conferred on him in Ordinations.”
What makes this move on the Primate’s part so outlandish is that Bishop Scriven has not been canonically resident in the Diocese of Pittsburgh in the Episcopal Church (USA) since October 4, 2008, when the Diocese voted by a sizeable majority to withdraw from ECUSA and affiliate temporarily with the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone. Details are not clear at this writing, but if events happened as they should have, Bishop Scriven would have received at that point a license from the Most Reverend Gregory Venables. (It is not known whether Bishop Duncan gave Letters Dimissory to Bishop Scriven before the former’s “deposition” by the ECUSA House of Bishops on September 18, 2008.) At any rate, Bishop Scriven became for the time being a member of the House of Bishops of the Province of the Southern Cone, and in that capacity continued to assist in the Diocese of Pittsburgh through December 2008. He conducted, for example, an ordination of the Rev. Aaron Carpenter at St. Philip’s Church in Moon Township, Pittsburgh, on December 9.
How is it that Dr Schori purports to revoke the ordination of a bishop who was not ordained by TEC but by the Church of England, and who now works for a Chirch of England missionary society? The Church of England believes in the indelibility of orders, even if PECUSA doesn’t!
Just for information, this brief biography makes it clear how much Dr Schori has outrun her jurisdiction.
Bishop Henry Scriven was born in England in 1951 and educated at Repton School and Sheffield University, where he studied Biblical Studies. After a year working in a steel mill supervised by the Sheffield Industrial Mission, he undertook theological study at St John’s, Nottingham, and was ordained in 1975.
Four years in London were followed by two in Northern Argentina with SAMS GB (the South America Missionary Society).
When the Falklands War started the family left for Little Rock, Arkansas, where Henry was Assistant Rector for Education at Christ Church (1982-1983). Work with SAMS continued in Spain (Salamanca and Madrid) with the Spanish Episcopal Reformed Church from 1984-1990, then for five years he was Chaplain of the British Embassy Church in Madrid (Diocese of Gibraltar in Europe – Church of England). In 1995 he was consecrated as Suffragan Bishop in Europe and spent seven years travelling around the 40 countries of that diocese.
In 2002 Henry was appointed Assistant Bishop of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, (which is home to the headquarters of SAMS USA ). He has been SAMS Mission Director for South America from 1 January 2009. When the proposed link-up of SAMS with CMS goes ahead later this year, this will ultimately become a post in the new joint entity. SAMS and CMS are two of the most prominent Church of England missionary societies.
Outrun her jurisdiction? I think not. She has yet to depose the Pope and the Patriarchs. Red Queen, indeed!
Well put, dwstroudmd!
Dear Henry,
If you are paying attention to this blog, Henry, please know that we miss you terribly here in Pittsburgh and pray that the SAMS/CMS task goes well. And know that we are not surprised or amazed at this latest move from NYC – saddened and appalled, yes, surprised, no. If I were you, I’d frame the letter.
Grant
#3, Why should she depose the pope? She has accepted accepted his public renunciation of the Ordained Ministry of this Church, dated 1533.