Stephen Drachler, a spokesman for the Western Jurisdiction\u2019s College of Bishops, called the Judicial Council\u2019s decision a \u201cmixed bag.\u201d While it was \u201cdisappointing and disturbing\u201d that Bishop Oliveto\u2019s consecration was found to be in violation of church law, he said, \u201cshe remains a bishop of the church\u201d for now.<\/p>\n
He said that the bishops of the Western Jurisdiction, who were gathering in Dallas in advance of a larger meeting of Methodist bishops, would meet on Saturday to assess the decision and respond.<\/p>\n
The country\u2019s third-largest religious denomination, after the Roman Catholic Church and the Southern Baptist Convention, the United Methodist Church adopted language in 1972 declaring that \u201cself-avowed practicing homosexuals\u201d may not be ordained because \u201cthe practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching.\u201d Methodists have debated that language every four years at meetings of the church\u2019s top decision-making body, the General Conference.<\/p>\n