To this, Nathaniel Pierce responded as follows:
Mark:
Using the you cite figures from 2006, it really boils down to this: do you need a vote by 32 Bishops in order to depose a Bishop who is alleged to have abandonned the Communion of this church, or do you need 142?
If a Priest is charged with abandonment, a vote of at least 75% of “All the Members” of the Standing Committee is required (capital letters are in the text). Here, however, you argue that a mere 11% of the House can depose a Bishop on the same charge (based on the definition of a quorum as found in I.2 as of 2006).
Furthermore, you confuse two issues in your analysis. There is a difference between a “quorum” and “the whole number of Bishops entitled to vote.” This is clearly conveyed by the fact that I.2 defines these terms separately, distinctly, and clearly. In almost all circumstances the presence of a quorum enables the House to conduct its business. However, on this issue, deposing a Bishop for abandonment, the number of votes required by the canon is a majority of the whole number which in turn is clearly defined in I.2. To simply equate a quorum with the whole number, ie to claim that these two separate terms are interchangeable even though they are defined very differently in I.2, is ludicrous.
–The Rev. Nathaniel Pierce lives in Trappe, Maryland