Jim Naughton: There is the case made in blogs today that the House of Bishops ran afoul of its own rules in the Canons of the Church in deposing +Bob. The 5 day issue that Bp. Lawrence raised is one. Didn\u2019t this deposition need to be looked at under diff canon? There is the notion screaming in the blogs today that +Bob\u2019s deposition was done all wrong. Give us a sense of the actions taken.<\/p>\n
Bp. Michael Smith: If you are referring to the notice being given 30 days prior and to the 3 senor bishops have to agree to inhibition prior to deposition, let me say this. Meeting notice wasn\u2019t an issue. We knew it would be on the agenda at the September meeting. There were 2 challenges to the Presiding Bishop\u2019s ruling on other two issues in question. I offered one (the need for the three Senior Bishops to agree to inhibition prior to deposition) and Bp. Mark Lawrence offered the second (with regard to the number of bishops needed to vote on this issue.) This is a contentious issue and area of great disagreement. In our system, there is no Supreme Court. In the context of any meeting we are free to challenge the Presiding Officer. We did that. We were overruled by 2\/3 majority of this House. The ruling will stand. Eventually, General Convention will change those canons and\/or clarify them….<\/p>\n
Rich: Pittsburgh realigns and new diocese will be formed in TEC?
\nPresiding Bishop Jefferts Schori: Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh will not go away even if convention will make the inappropriate vote to realign. One member of Standing Committee will remain within TEC (rumored to be the Rev. Jim Simon) and will be the center of the new diocese. People from across the aisle are rejecting realignment. They are coming together to act against and actively protest these schismatic actions. It is a vastly different situation than San Joaquin and we will move quickly to reestablish the diocese of Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n