What had Bishop Cox done that led to his deposition? In June 2005, Bishop Cox ordained two priests and a deacon at Christ Church in Overland Park, Kansas, after he was asked to do so by the Primate of Uganda, the Most Rev. Henry Luke Orombi. The following month, Bishop Cox returned to Christ Church and led a service of confirmation.
In April 2005, Christ Church agreed to pay the Diocese of Kansas $1 million over the next 10 years as part of a separation agreement which allowed the congregation to retain its property, and for the clergy to be relieved of their canonical obligations to The Episcopal Church. Christ Church and its clergy subsequently affiliated with the Province of Uganda.
It is important to note that Bishop Cox did not perform acts in any congregation of the Diocese of Kansas without the Bishop of Kansas’ permission. He minstered to a congregation that had left the Diocese of Kansas and had been received into the Province of Uganda. Bishop Cox, as an Anglican Bishop, ministered at the request of an overseas Anglican bishop (in this case the Archbishop and Primate of Uganda) to a congregation that was under his jurisdiction.
In 2006, two bishops””the Rt. Rev. Dean Wolfe, Bishop of Kansas and the Rt. Rev. Robert Moody, Bishop of Oklahoma””presented then Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold with charges that Bishop Cox had violated the Canons of the Episcopal Church. Bishop Griswold forwarded the charges to the Title IV [disciplinary] Review Committee, which determined that there were sufficient grounds to proceed to trial.
Are there any Bishops out there any place that has the gumption to just say and vote NO when this kind of vote is required of them. I personally know Bishop Cox to be one of the kindest, most gentle people I have ever known. In all my conversations with him he has never, ever voiced any unkind words against anyone, including those who are now his prosecutors . He is a pattern that we should all be trying to copy.
Call me crazy, but could Bishop Cox bring a lawsuit against his former diocese and TEC for restraint of trade or preventing him from practicing his profession?
This situation seems akin to McDonalds suing Burger King for opening a Burger King restaurant in their McDonalds diocese, or the case of a lawyer resigning from a law firm and then being told he can perform no legal work anywhere in the area his old law firm calls their “diocese.”
I’m not a lawyer, and didn’t even stay at a Holiday Inn last night, but I wonder if there are any novel legal remedies that could be tried here. Sticking it to TEC would just be an added benefit.
#2–I am a transitional deacon, ordained by Bishop Cox, and he attends worship in our parish on Sundays (he celebrated the Eucharist today, with our rector out of town). I see absolutely nothing in this man of God that desires to bring retribution on those who seek to harm him. Instead, he prays for them.
Bishop Cox spoke to this situation briefly during this morning’s services. He shared that Archbishop Gregory Venables has assured him of his full status as a bishop, under Venables’s care; he also told us that he has not lost a minute’s sleep over the news! Bishop Cox remains in tremendous spirits, an inspiration to each of us who worship with him each week. I am honored to say that he is my bishop.
Daniel, see comment #1. This is the universal description of everyone that I have seen describing Bp Cox. The good bishop will certainly not violate the Biblical injunction against suing other Christians. The people of Oklahoma love Bp Cox. They know the injustice being carried out.
The Tulsa paper has an [url=http://www… ]article[/url] about it. Here is an excerpt:
[blockquote]Cox, 87, said Thursday that he is not upset about the House of Bishops’ action. “I feel sorry that they felt they needed to do this,” he said. “A more charitable thing to do would be to say, ‘We recognize that you are now a member of the church in Argentina and ask God’s blessing on your ministry.’ “This has no effect on me,” he said. “I guess it means they want to have the last word.” [/blockquote]
If your upset, write a blog entry to the article (I did) or a letter to the editor of the paper.
[blockquote] Are there any Bishops out there any place that has the gumption to just say and vote NO when this kind of vote is required of them? [/blockquote]
A question that bears repeating far and wide until we mere parishioners get answers. By the way, good bishops of the Episcopal Church, no answer (silence) is actually an answer that does [b] NOT[/b] leave you in good stead with us.
#4 – robroy:
The link you posted has no address, goes nowhere.
w.w.
Oops, the link is [url=http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=20080314_1_A5_spanc67248 ]here[/url].