The Province of the Southern Cone has begun work to amend its Constitution and Canons to permit parishes and dioceses outside of South America to affiliate with the church.<\/p>\n
In an address to the Diocese of Fort Worth on May 3, Presiding Bishop Gregory Venables of Argentina said his province had agreed to accept the diocese of San Joaquin into the South American church as a \u201cpastoral\u201d\u009d and interim response to the divisions within the US Episcopal Church. Work was now underway to alter the church\u2019s constitution, removing language that limited membership to dioceses located in South America.<\/p>\n
The \u201cAnglican Communion in the United States has been hijacked,\u201d\u009d Bishop Venables said, by a liberal clique that is less concerned with theological integrity than with power. They do not \u201cmind what happens as long as they control it,\u201d\u009d he said according to a report prepared by the diocese\u2019s communications officer. Bishop Venables told Fort Worth that the question before them was \u201cwhether or not you can stand with a group of people who have denied that Jesus is the Son of God and that the Bible is the Word of God.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
He conceded that the invitation to the Diocese of San Joaquin made following its December decision to quit the Church and affiliate with the Southern Cone was irregular. However, \u201cif we don\u2019t do something,\u201d\u009d he said, we would be \u201ccomplicit\u201d\u009d in their oppression.<\/p>\n