Following a joint meeting of the standing committee and diocesan council, the Rt. Rev. John W. Howe, Bishop of Central Florida, announced Nov. 15 that they were unable to agree upon a protocol for congregations desiring to secede from The Episcopal Church.
The rejected proposal would have permitted a departing congregation to purchase church property from the diocese provided that they made adequate provision for those members who desired to remain Episcopalians and participated in a parish discernment process devised and supervised by the diocese.
The other part of the news article is that the convention of Central Florida will vote on removing unqualified “adhesion” (unfortunate word) to TEC from the diocese constitution. Standing Committee and Council unanimously sent this forward.
And in all likelihood, Bishop Howe will rightly rule it out of order before it ever comes to a vote.
I daresay this is because +Howe does not want to be strong-armed as +Lee indicated he was. It is tragic that moderate bishops are afraid to seek peaceful ways to allow the faithful to depart from TEC.
I was about to say the same thing, #3. If 815’s going to lower the boom in any case, what’s the point?
Well, the PB has ruled out any congregation taking their property with them if they want to call themselves “Anglican.” This, of course, means that no departing congregation can take its property with them. We shall soon see if +Howe knuckles under to the PB.
It’s not a matter of “knuckling under.” Bishop Howe has been consistent in his proper teaching, loooong before and legal proceedings were announced by the PB, that individuals may leave, but churches and dioceses cannot. Unless you have a terribly short memory, recall the letter he sent (3 weeks ago) to the PB in response to her announement of possible legal action against other dioceses. He’s not knucking under; he’s just being consistent in his canonical, legal and moral responsibiliities to the church.
Would that the church were being consistant in its canonical, legal, moral, and BIBLICAL responsibilities to its people.
Makersmarc,
Have a great Thanksgiving.
Thanks, Evan! Likewise to you and yours.