Resolved, the House of _______ concurring, That Title III, Canon 1, Sec. 2 of the Canons of the Episcopal Church be hereby amended to read as follows: No person shall be denied access to the discernment process for any ministry, lay or ordained, in this Church because of race, color, ethnic origin, national origin, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disabilities or age, except as otherwise provided by these Canons. No right to licensing, ordination, or election is hereby established.
I need a canon lawyer. I’m curious what this means. If this proposed resolution were to pass, what would happen if a parish priest were to decline to hire a bisexual or a transgendered person as a youth leader?
Jill,
The disclaimer is the final sentence.
There is no entitlement in the hiring process. It just means in theory that no one responsible for hiring can refuse to accept an application based on some sort of prior (or obvious) knowledge.
Unfortunately, the resolution is still skewed.
1) The list needs to include “biblical theoogy” (doesn’t that drop everybody into the bucket?!),
and 2) the word “expression” is a dangerous, if unintentional nonetheless, term.
One wonders how long before that last sentence as a disclaimer is axed and it becomes what the backers really wanted.
There will soon be no discernment involved with the ordination process, because no one will be excluded. Anyone who says, “I want to be a priest!” will be made one. Why bother with committees or even with seminary? What’s the point of a sacerdotal priesthood? Why don’t we just have people take turns “celebrating” at the altar each Sunday?
Every bishop, whatever their stripe, should beware of this sort of legislation. The next time they deny the ordination process to someone, for whatever reason, how long will it be before the lawyers will come knocking on the door.
The inmates are truly running the asylum.
Fr. Michael+
Ontological since 2008
The camel is sticking its nose under the edge of the clerical tent.
Pretty soon it will be in the tent and eating at the table with the rest of the clergy.