When Gene Robinson was elected and approved as the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire in 2003, it ignited a forest fire in the Episcopal Church. Robinson is the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal diocese — a big problem for many church conservatives.
The Episcopal Diocese of Chicago, of which Kankakee is a part, will hold its election for bishop Saturday, and one of the candidates is an openly gay priest from Cleveland, the Rev. Tracey Lind.
The issue of ordaining gays and lesbians and electing them to positions of power in the church has been one of contention since before Robinson’s election, and some Episcopal churches have left the denomination to join up with the more conservative Anglican branches, like the Convocation of Anglicans in North America, which is sponsored by the Church of Nigeria.
The House of Bishops, which must approve each diocesan election, has said it will not approve Lind if she is elected, said the Rev. Frank Warthan, the priest at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Kankakee. He is unsure of where he stands on the topic of electing gay clergy to the top position in the church, but he is bothered that the church would even let Lind run after it has already said it won’t consider her.
“I think the diocese is being cruel for including her in that,” Warthan said, and he added that if she is elected, he thinks she should be approved.
Aren’t they voting just about now?
Here is a site for results:
http://www.epischicago.org/index.cfm
It would be fantabulous if Tracey Lind won. The HoB would suddenly have to show its hand. No more obfuscation. No more misdirection. No more slight of hand. And the pressure to acquiesce would be enormous. But I am fairly certain she won’t win. If that were to happen, a careful strategy crafted by powerful interests would be smashed to pieces. No, these things must be done delicately. Sorry Tracey. You are just a little ahead of plan, and so will have to wait a couple more years. But I am still pulling for you.
carl
First ballot: Lee is way out ahead of the pack. Lind, Gould, and Sabune are in the midst of the pack, with the rest trailing behind. Looks like it’ll be Lee on the 2nd ballot.
And indeed it was: Lee on the 2nd ballot.
Reflections from another thread:
“Is he orthodox?”
“Silly rabbit! This is Chicago! Orthodox need not apply.
(Hat-tip: stillinchicago)