Religious Intelligence: Fort Worth votes to secede from Episcopal Church

The Anglo-Catholic movement in America is dead, the Rt Rev Jack Iker said following the secession of the Diocese of Fort Worth from the Episcopal Church on Nov 15.

By a margin of almost four to one, the 225 members of the Fort Worth Synod meeting at St Vincent’s Cathedral in Bedford, Texas, on Nov 14-15 passed the second readings of five constitutional amendments severing America’s last traditionalist Anglo-Catholic diocese from the Episcopal Church and adopted a motion affiliating with the Province of the Southern Cone.

Over the last 12 months three other American dioceses: San Joaquin, Pittsburgh and Quincy have quit the Episcopal Church over its innovations in doctrine and discipline to take temporary refuge in the Province of the Southern Cone, pending the formation of a Third Province in North America for traditionalist Anglicans. Fort Worth was the last diocese in the Episcopal Church, after the defection of Quincy last week and San Joaquin in 2007, to decline to license or ordain women to the priesthood.

Its departure marks the end of the traditionalist Anglo-Catholic movement in the US church Bishop Iker said. “The Anglo-Catholic branch is more than just wearing fancy vestments,” he explained. “It is the use of the Vincentian Canon;” the fifth century monk St Vincent of Lerins taught the mark of the Catholic Church was that it held a once-for-all received faith, witnessed everywhere and by all. [Quod ubique, quod semper, quod ab omnibus creditum est.]

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Posted in * Anglican - Episcopal, Episcopal Church (TEC), TEC Conflicts, TEC Conflicts: Fort Worth

6 comments on “Religious Intelligence: Fort Worth votes to secede from Episcopal Church

  1. Larry Morse says:

    “pending the formation of a Third Province in North America for”

    It this REALLY pending? Or is this still wish-fulfillment? LM

  2. Fr. Greg says:

    So what is the Diocese of South Carolina planning to do?

  3. Irenaeus says:

    [i] The Anglo-Catholic movement in America is dead, the Rt Rev Jack Iker said following the secession of the Diocese of Fort Worth from the Episcopal Church on Nov 15. [/i]

    I trust he meant that the Anglo-Catholic movement in [i] ECUSA [/i] is dead.

  4. libraryjim says:

    Irenaeus,

    I hope you are right. St. Peter’s is definately Anglo-Catholic, although it has strong elements of the Anglo-Evangelical movement displayed, too. I don’t see the decline of the high-sacramental theology happening any time soon.

    Peace
    Jim Elliott <>< Florida

  5. reformedanglican says:

    I think that is is plausible that Bp Iker meant that Anglo-Catholicism in America is dead, even with a new province in North America being formed because this action cuts Dio of Ft. Worth out of communion with Cantebury and the Jerusalem declaration is not catholic. I also supspect that having tendered his flock to the care of AB Venables, Iker may take leave to Rome as soon as it is feasible to do so. Just speculation but I think it makes sense.

  6. libraryjim says:

    I’m not sure that Ft. Worth’s actions does take it out of communion with Canterbury. Since they have associated with the Southern Cone, and they are in communion, that leaves Ft. Worth in communion with the Communion.