Episcopal Press and News
Sharp Exchanges, Executive Sessions, and Attempted Censure Force Bishops to Reexamine Their Role
Episcopal News Service. July 25, 1991 [91158]
The bishops of the Episcopal Church confronted an unanticipated problem at the 70th General Convention -- an identity crisis of such magnitude that the bishops nearly ground to a halt while they attempted to settle old disputes and repair their tender "collegiality" long enough to do business together.
"This church was in a crisis in the first days of convention," admitted Bishop Christopher Epting of Iowa.
It was a drama played out daily as the bishops wrestled with the major issue facing convention -- sexuality and the ordination of homosexuals -- and with strong convictions on all sides of the issue. In a series of closed executive sessions, the bishops said they talked about their lives as bishops, the pressures they face, and the decisions they must make in an attempt to keep the church together. As a result, they agreed to meet in a retreat and re-examine their role as bishops.
"Being a bishop is one hell of a job," admitted Presiding Bishop Edmond L. Browning during a press conference. Browning said that there are 41 new bishops since the last General Convention and 74 since he was elected presiding bishop.
Some early sparks in a routine debate prompted the smoldering crisis to leap into flames. Bishop John Spong of Newark and Bishop John MacNaughton of West Texas traded sharp words over a resolution calling for inclusion of lesbians and gays on a church commission. The exchange prompted Bishop Arthur Walmsley to call on the presiding bishop to set a time "to discuss how to do our business together." Walmsley characterized the exchange as "a foretaste of the shootout at the OK Corral."
Bishop Frank Allan of Atlanta and chair of the House of Bishops Committee on Ministry, said his committee proposed that the bishops meet in executive session because "I think we are facing a crisis of leadership and trust, and also in the way that we do business with one another as bishops." Allan also sent an unusual request to the House of Deputies to pray for the bishops. Several long-time deputies said it was the first time they could remember the House of Bishops sending a message specifically requesting prayers as the bishops opened deliberations.
Before it was even clear that the executive session was building a new level of trust, Bishop John Spong of Newark informed the house that his remarks in the closed session had been leaked to an officer of Episcopalians United, a group that has vigorously opposed Spong on his ordination of a gay to the priesthood.
Spong announced that a "top official" of Episcopalians United had "told me the contents of my remarks in the executive session. I think you need to know that the confidentiality of this house has been violated, and the trust of this house has been diminished." The news came as a stunning blow to the members. Said one bishop later, who declined to be identified, "There is not a bishop in that house that wasn't shocked by that news." He added that he felt the "credibility of the House of Bishops is on the line."
In an attempt to rebuild that credibility, the house voted to continue executive sessions every morning during the convention.
Presiding Bishop Edmond L. Browning, during a press conference with the Religious Newswriters Assocation, said he was uncomfortable with continuing the executive sessions for any purpose other than "special circumstances."
"We are trying to clear some of the anger, some of the confusion, some of the frustration that we have had with one another over the past couple of years," Browning said. "Feelings [were] brought to Washington, D.C, and not resolved," he added. During the last House of Bishops meeting in Washington last September, the bishops narrowly voted to "disassociate" themselves from Spong's ordination of a noncelibate homosexual in December 1989.
Browning admitted there is "a considerable amount of frustration about the legislative process" the convention uses to decide church policy. "During the next three years there will be a great deal of discussion about how we meet and deal with issues."
To overcome some of the bishops' frustrations, Browning scheduled a special, closed House of Bishops meeting in March to discuss confidential matters of the relationships among bishops. The bishops will "meet just by ourselves" in a retreat setting, Browning said. "We need that kind of time."
In the midst of their deliberations on a staggering array of topics the bishops paused to focus on their own identity and role in church and society. The bishops reviewed a draft version of a proposed pastoral letter which will deal with the ministry of bishops. The draft document received extensive debate on the terminology used to describe the pastoral role of bishops.
Bishop George Bates of Utah said the bishops should be cautious in assuming the title of "chief executive officer," as proposed in the letter. "It seems that's an unfortunate image of what we're about" Another bishop noted that he used the title "chief operating officer" as a way of sidestepping the concern over being seen as a corporate officer as opposed to a pastor.
Diocesan bishops are traditionally given primary responsibility to preach, teach, confirm, and ordain. But many also are burdened with exercising authority over clergy deployment and other personnel matters, ordinations, and stewardship issues as well as being responsible for the fiscal health of the diocese, institutions, and parishes.
After discussion of whether pastoral letters are authoritative or merely instructional, the house approved a motion from Bishop C.I. Jones of Montana to have the proposed letter accepted as a working paper to be studied at the next regular interim House of Bishops meeting, scheduled for Baltimore in September 1992.
In the closing days of the convention the fragile peace hammered out in the executive sessions was threatened by the introduction of a motion to censure two members of the house -- Bishop Ronald Haines of Washington (D.C.) and Bishop Walter Righter, former assisting bishop of Newark, who recently ordained noncelibate homosexuals.
Retired Bishop Gerald McAllister of Oklahoma, who introduced the censure motion, said "The real issue is an issue of the economy of God, an ordering of the household of faith. It is an issue of whether we shall have a government of law or whether it is everyone for him or herself.
"Silence at this point is consent," he said. The bishops' lack of action would encourage people "who by individualism and little thought of community are destroying the fabric of our community life." In asking for a vote on his resolution, McAllister said, "I plead with you to send me home in defeat," rather than "in shame that this house will not exercise its governance function."
In the ensuing discussions, bishops disagreed sharply over the issues at stake. The debate set concern for discipline in the house over against recognition of acts of individual conscience.
Bishop C. Cabell Tennis of Delaware said that the issue was one of boundary lines and accountability. "If there are no boundaries, there is no offense," he said. "And if there is no offense, it is totally unjust to censure anyone."
Bishop David Reed of Kentucky said he and other bishops felt "offended and betrayed" by the recent ordinations. Reed said there "must be some way one can express pain, anguish, disappointment and offense." While admitting that censure is a strong response, he said he felt it was appropriate.
In the course of the discussion, Bishops Edward Jones of Indianapolis and Stewart Wood of Michigan both rose to say that if the censure was passed, their names should be added to those of Haines and Righter because they also had engaged in such ordinations or similar actions. "There are a number of us in the house who could have been named were it a different time," Wood said, agreeing that the boundaries are unclear in the area of ordination.
The McAllister resolution was rejected in a clear voice vote. After rejecting a number of amendments to a substitute proposed by the Committee on Miscellaneous Resolutions, the bishops accepted the substitute by voice vote with a minor change.
The substitute resolution stated that the bishops recognize "the pain and damage to the collegiality and credibility of this house and to parts of the whole church when individual bishops and dioceses ordain sexually active gay and lesbian persons in the face of repeated statements of this House of Bishops and the General Convention against such ordinations."
It went on to "acknowledge the dilemma of conscience faced by each member of this House of Bishops resulting from these ordinations and from the fact that there is no clear consensus in this House of Bishops."
In order to "advance the honesty and collegiality of this House of Bishops," the resolution stated that "this deep concern over the gap between what we profess and what we do be referred to the Presiding Bishop and Council of Advice for consideration of this matter by the House of Bishops at an interim meeting of the House."
In a press conference after the vote, Haines said he was pleased with the decision of the house. "Obviously no one likes to be censured," Haines said. "I do respect Bishop McAllister and his integrity and those who would have wished to go in that direction."
Haines said the focus of the substitute resolution on working out ways to deal with differences means that "we the bishops will struggle together in a new way theologically or biblically. What we're all saying is that we've got to revisit the scriptures and our own theology."
Although the 1988 General Convention approved the so-called "Episcopal Visitors" resolution, to protect congregations who disagree with diocesan bishops on the question of women's ordination, the bishops continued to test each other about whether the resolution is working and whether they should trust one another when they differ.
The bishops considered a resolution that would have expanded the intent of the 1988 resolution. The original "visitors" concept allows congregations which feel disenfranchised by the position of their male diocesan bishop -- whether he is for or against women's ordination -- to request a visiting bishop who agrees with their position on the issue of women's ordination to perform episcopal functions.
"We need a mechanism to enable the spirit of Philadelphia to be put into effect," said Bishop Donald Parsons, retired bishop of Quincy, referring to the understanding reached by bishops over the "visitors" resolution during their Philadelphia meeting in September 1989. That meeting was seen as a bench mark of attempted reconciliation between traditionalist and liberal bishops.
"If there is a mechanism that can enable this kind of thing to happen," said Parsons, "then we may be able to cut away some of the present atmosphere in some quarters, an atmosphere of fear, and suspicion, and rumor, and yes -- sometimes I must admit -- even paranoia."
"The idea is not to circumvent a diocesan's authority. It's a pastoral thrust," said Bishop Clarence Pope, Jr., of Fort Worth, the president and founder of the traditionalist Episcopal Synod of America. Pope alluded to the visitors plan having worked effectively in the past. "I say that I have, by the graciousness of Massachusetts, confirmed in his diocese," Pope said of Bishop David Johnson. "I was representing him. I was there on his invitation and on his authority," Pope said. Technically, Massachusetts is the only diocese that has implemented the plan since it was adopted in 1988.
In spite of the energy put forth by the bishops, on the last day the House of Deputies rejected, in a close vote by orders, the idea that a mechanism was needed to protect the 1988 "Episcopal Visitors" resolution.
Another aspect of the issue of collegiality and leadership was the role of retired bishops: Should they retain the right to vote?
A constitutional change that would have denied retired bishops a vote in the House of Bishops was defeated. The resolution, first approved at the 1988 General Convention, was presented for the second vote required for changes to the constitution. It would have removed the vote from those bishops not directly involved in oversight of dioceses.
Bishop Roger White of Milwaukee argued that, while he strongly favored "retired bishops sharing their wisdom with us," he opposed a situation in which "retired bishops and other bishops can outvote bishops who have to carry out the policies of this church in their dioceses and take the responsibility."
Retired Bishop Reginald H. Gooden of Panama argued against White's emphasis on the importance of jurisdiction. "What is the essence of the episcopate? What made us bishops?" he asked. "The essence of the episcopate is not jurisdiction. If that were so, and we were consistent, not only retired bishops, but also suffragans and assistant bishops would be disenfranchised."
Bishop Robert H. Cochrane of the Diocese of Olympia pointed out that one of the questions asked at his consecration was, "Will you share with your fellow bishops in the government of the whole church?" Cochrane said, "I believed then and I believe now that that promise was good for life. How can I share in the government of the church if I'm not allowed the power of the vote?"
The House of Bishops decided, and the House of Deputies concurred, that in the future it will take one-quarter of the active bishops -- in the current house, nearly 75 bishops rather than nearly 200 -- to initiate the ecclesiastical trial of a bishop accused of teaching doctrine contrary to that held by the Episcopal Church.
According to the current canons, once a "presentment" -- or accusation that a bishop is teaching false doctrine -- is brought by 10 bishops, a vote of two-thirds of the nearly 300 active bishops is needed for the process to proceed to a trial.
The convention approved other legislation on the role of bishops:
- Revise Title III canons on the episcopate (A-131).
- Refer to the appropriate form of biographical information for bishops-elect in Title III canons (A-216a).
- Amend Article II of the Constitution by adding a new section on nominations from the floor in episcopal elections (B-017a).