House of Bishops Issues Resolutions, Continues Discussions

By Emily Cherry

The House of Bishops convened in Navasota, Texas March 16-21 for their biannual meeting that brings together the bishops of The Episcopal Church. Over 200 bishops from around The Episcopal Church, active and retired, representing nearly every diocese gathered to “reflect and pray together and to hear about the mission of the Church,” said Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori.

The bishops spent part of their meeting time discussing the Millennium Development Goals, mission opportunities and the draft Anglican Covenant that was submitted at the Primates’ meeting in Tanzania in February. Also up for discussion was the Primates’ communiqué, a statement issued after their February meeting that addressed the Windsor Report and made recommendations to The Episcopal Church.

Three “mind of the House” resolutions were issued from this meeting. The first affirms The Episcopal Church’s desire to remain a part of the Anglican Communion and pledges “to continue to work to find ways of meeting the pastoral concerns of the Primate that are compatible with our own polity and canons.” The second resolution invites Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and the members of the Primates’ Standing Committee to visit with the House of Bishops for a period of prayer and conversation. The third, and lengthiest, resolution declines The Episcopal Church’s participation in a pastoral scheme proposed by the Primates’ communiqué. The resolution states that such a scheme—which would have established a pastoral council and a primatial vicar to provide oversight of the seven Episcopal dioceses that have requested alternative oversight—is “not permissible under our Canons,” and that “it violates our founding principles as The Episcopal Church.”

The resolutions did not address other aspects of the communiqué. Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori said that “the resolutions have emerged as the sense of the house. . . . As leader of this house I certainly will support them.” She also noted that the coming months would be a period of discussion and reflection, and that the communiqué would likely be addressed at the next House of Bishops meeting in September.

The full text of the resolutions can be found online at http://www.episcopalchurch.org/3577_84148_ENG_HTM.htm.

A statement issued from the House of Bishops can be found online at http://www.episcopalchurch.org/3577_84198_ENG_HTM.htm.

Bishop Jefferts Schori’s closing homily for the House of Bishops’ Meeting can be found online at http://www.episcopalchurch.org/3577_84199_ENG_HTM.htm.

Additional coverage of the House of Bishops meeting can be found here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/21/AR2007032102511.html.

Read Bishop Lee's letter to the Diocese here: http://www.thediocese.net/News_services/pressroom/newsrelease35.html.

Visit the Diocese online at www.thediocese.net.