Bishop Venables: Communion ³Breaking Up Because Nobody is Leading²
The Living Church
Posted on: May 6, 2008
The work of amending the Constitution and Canons of the Southern Cone in
order to regularize the admission of parishes and dioceses beyond South
America is about to begin, according to Presiding Bishop Gregory
Venables. The Primate of the Southern Cone made a visit to the Diocese
of Fort Worth for a series of meetings with clergy and lay leaders May
2-4.
³The Anglican Communion in the United States has been hijacked,² Bishop
Venables said, by an Episcopal Church leader****p that doesnıt ³mind what
happens as long as they control it.
³I am astounded that in America, the land of the free, so many people
have been robbed of their freedom,² he said.
Bishop Venablesı visit began with a private meeting of diocesan clergy
at the Church of the Holy Apostles in Fort Worth on May 2. The following
day, Bishop Venables met with a convocation of elected clergy and lay
delegates to the diocesan convention. The convocation also included
about 130 visitors who were granted seat, but not voice. There was no
voting. On Sunday morning, Bishop Venables preached at St. Vincentıs
Cathedral, Bedford, and again later during Evensong at St. Andrewıs,
Fort Worth. At each stop on Sunday he answered questions from those
present.
Bishop Venables visited the Diocese of Fort Worth at the invitation of
its bishop, the Rt. Rev. Jack Iker. In late April, Bishop Venables also
visited with Anglicans who have left the Anglican Church of Canada and
with the Anglican Diocese of San Joaquin in California. Prior to his
arrival in Fort Worth, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori wrote
a public letter to Bishop Venables. She asked him to cancel his visit in
part because it was ³an unprecedented and unwarranted invasion of, and
meddling in, the internal affairs of this province,² and because it
would prevent ³needed reconciliation from proceeding² within The
Episcopal Church.
³This is not about schism,² Bishop Venables said. ³Schism is separation
on secondary issues. This is [a question of] essentials.
³You [in the Diocese of Fort Worth] must decide whether 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.²
For the rest, go to:
http://www.livingchurch.org/news/news-updates/2008/5/6/bishop-venables-co
mmunion-breaking-up-because-nobody-is-leading
--
Charles Hohenstein (to reply, remove Gene Robinson)
"The sad huddle of affluent bedwetters, thumbsuckers,
treehuggers, social climbers, homophiles, quavery ladies,
and chronic petition signers that makes up the current
Episcopal Church . . ." -Thomas Lipscomb
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