Froom The Living Church:
The Rt. Rev. Charles Jenkins, Bishop of Louisiana, said he voted for C056 because his colleagues had responded well to his plea for graciousness.
“During closed session, I stood and asked the majority of the house to please consider the position of the minority,” he said, adding that it took the church from 1976 to 2009 before all bishops supported ordaining women to the priesthood.
“A mature clarity means leaving a place for the other to stand with integrity,” he said. “What happens when your pastoral issue runs up against my pastoral issue? What happens when your sense of justice runs up against mine?”
The bishops who met late into the night to discuss C056 did the needed homework, Bishop Jenkins said.
“I felt I was honor-bound to vote for it because these bishops had done what I had asked them to do,” he said. “I felt that the process was a ray of hope for The Episcopal Church.”
Most of the bishops quoted in the article voted against Resolution D025, which opens the door to the election of more gay bishops, but voted for C056, which directs the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music to “collect and develop theological and liturgical resources”.
Mimi, the Louisiana deputation voted against both D025 and C056. They have not disclosed how each deputy voted.
ReplyDeleteOrmonde, I would have guessed that, but I haven't found information on our deputation at GC. I checked the diocesan website, and I could find only an incomplete account there. Do you know where can I find more information?
ReplyDelete...it took the church from 1976 to 2009 before all bishops supported ordaining women to the priesthood.
ReplyDeleteBut that's not true, or if it is, it's only because of those that left. I have serious reservations about allowing dioceses to ignore canons of the church at their discretion. This is what was done for many years by those claiming the right to pull their dioceses out of TEC.
Bishop Jenkins gets it, hopefully his views are contagious...truthfully, I felt a more gracious towards him.
ReplyDeleteRick, I assume that it is true now because of those who left.
ReplyDeleteCarlitos, welcome. I, too, feel much more gracious toward Bishop Jenkins now. He has changed a good deal since he suffered along with his flock during Katrina and the federal flood and Gustav and the aftermath of the disasters. He and others in the diocese and in the national church have been a mighty force in efforts to help the people of Louisiana recover, and the help has gone not only to Episcopalians, but to all those that it was possible to help.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this ray of hope, Mimi. I hope your next bishop may be at least this open.
ReplyDeleteLisa, I hope so, too. Pray for the elections our diocese and the other dioceses listed in the prayer at the top of my sidebar.
ReplyDeleteI'm confused about something. David Virtue lists Bp. Jenkins as voting no on C056. No, sorry, no link. If the Living Church quote is correct, which I believe it is, then DV has it wrong. Of course, he notes that that his count is "unofficial". I'd say the words of the bishop himself are pretty official.
I don't usually read DV's site, but Fr Christian sent me there.
I am not sure the "official" voting records have yet been released. Louie Crew has promised to post them when they are released. The GC staff were given this week off --so maybe sometime next week the official records will be released.
ReplyDeleteMimi, hon, if you're confused about whether to trust Bishop Jenkins' own statement (which will surely cause him some backlash back home) or DV's report ... well then ... perhaps you've started sippin' the sazerac a bit early in the day. ;-)
ReplyDeleteUnless the members of the deputation say who voted what, you won't know. No one asked that their deputation be polled -- a procedure in which each deputy has to state publicly his or her vote which then is recorded as such -- a sure-fire way of squelching people's autonomy qua deputy. And, unless a measure failed to glean 2/3 of each order, the names of the deputations voting 'no' or being divided is not read. We only got two such readings -- the first on the first passage of D025 and the second on C023 (the asking all Episcopalians to work to repeal of DOMA)... at least that is what my memory tells me.
ReplyDeleteIn the past, when the right was much more populated, votes were not so lopsided and we would be treated to the litany of....
Alabama lay no clergy divided
Hawaii lay divided
New York clergy divided
Northern California lay divided clergy no
Vermont lay divided clergy no
The vote needed 55 votes to pass in the lay order and 56 to pass in the clergy order.
There were 62 votes in the lay order. The resolution passes in the lay order.
There were 57 votes in the clergy order. The resolution passes in the clergy order.
(totally made up)
Not made up, in 1997 in Philly on a resolution pertaining to blessings of same-sex couples (one of the multitudinous that led up to this summer), the resolution failed by two votes in the clergy order. It was heartbreaking. The tally was read just before the HE with the ABC (George Carey). I was slated to vest, process and serve chalice. I almost didn't.
I'll watch for the totals at Louie's place, Margaret.
ReplyDeleteCaminante, thanks for the explanation. It seems that this convention was comparatively peaceful and well planned - and less tedious.
What drama in 1997 for a sad outcome. The only other GCs to which I paid attention were 2003 and 2006. In 1997, I was attending my church, but I had not yet been formally received into TEC. Back then, I hardly paid attention to the diocese, much less the national church and its conventions.