Carey becomes flying bishop in Virginia
Posted: 02 Nov 2006 @ 00:00
A SEPTEMBER VISIT by the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey, to
confirm candidates at Truro Church in Fairfax, Virginia, is being made at the
invitation of the diocesan bishop, the Rt Revd Peter Lee, it was confirmed on
Tuesday.
Truro Church has rejected the ministry of Bishop Lee because he supported
the consecration of the openly gay Gene Robinson as Coadjutor Bishop of New
Hampshire. New provision drawn up by the US House of Bishops at its spring
meeting this year specified that dioceses that could not reconcile their
disagreements over sexuality could appoint another bishop to provide "delegated
episcopal pastoral oversight".
It is under these terms that Bishop Lee has invited Lord Carey to confirm
several hundred adults and children from 11 conservative parishes in Virginia
on 15 September. The Bishop had pledged at his diocesan conference in January
this year that he would make provision for parishes unwilling to accept his
ministry, and had extended a personal invitation to Lord Carey, the Suffragan
Bishop of Virginia, the Rt Revd David Jones, said on Tuesday.
"Lord Carey graciously accepted this invitation. His visit will be welcomed
and appreciated," he said. After suggestions that the timing of the
confirmations could be seen as provocative, coming as they do weeks before the
Lambeth Commission is due to report, Canon Martyn Minns, Rector of Truro
Church, said that arrangements had been made in May, when the exact schedule
for the Commission was still not clear.
"We are simply getting on with the work of the gospel," he responded on
Tuesday. "While we are excited about this visit, we are also very conscious
that it is a sign of the serious brokenness of the Episcopal Church, and a
painful reminder of our alienation from the ministry of our own bishop."
ECUSA is 'like 9/11'
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