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Loading ...Episcopalians nominate gay clergy for bishop in LA
08.03.2009 9:00am EDT
(Los Angeles) Two Episcopal priests in same-gender relationships are among the nominees for assistant bishop of Los Angeles, officials said Sunday.
The Rev. John L. Kirkley of San Francisco and the Rev. Mary Douglas Glasspool of Maryland will be among six candidates on the ballot when lay people and clergy vote in December, despite a long-standing request from world Anglican leaders for a moratorium on consecrating openly gay bishops.Los Angeles Bishop Jon Bruno said in a statement Sunday that he was “pleased by the wide diversity” of the nominees. Separately, the Diocese of Minnesota on Saturday announced that a lesbian was among its three candidates for bishop. That election is set for October 31.
The Episcopal Church is the Anglican body in the United States.
The nominations were announced just over two weeks after the Episcopal General Convention voted to effectively drop a pledge that it would act with “restraint” when considering any more openly gay candidates for bishop.
“What happened really is we gave the green light for dioceses to do the right thing,” said the Rev. Susan Russell, president of Integrity USA, an Episcopal gay advocacy group.
Episcopalians caused an uproar in 2003 by consecrating the first openly gay bishop, V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire. Anglican leaders responded by asking the U.S. denomination for a temporary ban on consecrating any more gay bishops while they tried to reach a compromise that could keep the 77 million-member Anglican Communion unified.
No other bishop living openly with a same-sex partner has been consecrated since then.
Each Episcopal diocese elects local bishops. Church leaders must then signal their approval before the winner can be consecrated.
I really hope that those who are candidates in their respective Dioceses are ready for the challenges of becoming spiritual leaders within Christianity as it begins to openly embrace all people.The very fabric of all they have held dear and true in their private as well as thier public lives will be challeneged in ways unexpected.Please be in prayer for them all as the Holy Spirit gives grace for discernment in the matter. It is of the utmost importance.
Episcopals can either wait for acceptance from the conservative contingent, or they can go ahead with the existing church. The conservatives will do everything they can to negate, minimize, demonize and ultimately expel their opponents–and no matter that this decentralized church would be hijacked by a group whose views are NOT representative of the majority of the members. Congratulations to the American Episcopal mainstream for moving ahead with confidence in their faith, and looking to the best person for a leadership position, not the best person who reflects an exclusionary doctrine. This is all the more important for a small Protestant denomination with declining membership–either they build for tomorrow and open themselves to growth, or they appease yesterday and disappear.
Hooray for those Episcopalians. They refused to marry me and my partner but maybe they’re on the right track with the clergy. Slowly but surely.