The leaders of several conservative Anglican churches in the United States, some of which are still part of the Episcopal Church and some of which have broken away, are gathering this week in Pittsburgh to discuss their future. Four or five of the 110 Episcopal dioceses are talking about trying to leave the Episcopal Church.<\/p>\n
“What we were looking for was clarity, and what we got is an exercise in wordsmithing,” said Robert Lundy, spokesman for the American Anglican Council, an alliance of conservatives. “Overall, we feel disappointment.”<\/p>\n
The Episcopal Church has repeatedly sought to portray the conservatives who would leave as a tiny minority.<\/p>\n
“The conflict that you read about in the headlines is not reality in 95 percent of the church,” Jefferts Schori said yesterday.<\/p>\n
Bishop John W. Howe of Central Florida, one of the most conservative bishops present at the meeting in New Orleans, said last night that he did not vote for the statement because it did not bar blessings of same-sex unions outright, but that he also thought that, among the Anglican primates, as leaders of provinces are called, “the majority will find it acceptable.” Howe, asked if he would try to remove his diocese from the Episcopal Church, said “absolutely not.”<\/p>\n
“I think we did better than I expected,” he said.<\/p>\n