US woman Presiding Bishop extends olive branch to Anglican opponents
-04/11/06
Bishop
US woman Presiding Bishop extends olive branch to Anglican opponents
-04/11/06
Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, who will today be formally installed as Presiding Bishop in the Episcopal Church of the United States and other parts of the Americas, is seeking constructive relations with the other Anglican Primates ñ especially those who oppose a woman being in this position.
Dr Schori, who has a scientific background as an oceanographer, and who arouses the suspicions of self-styled traditionalist in the Church, is emphasizing her commitment to reconciliation and shared mission across the Anglican Communion.
Her letter, sent on 1 November 2006, constitutes the first act of Bishop Katharineís nine-year term. It is addressed to the Most Rev Peter Akinola, Primate of Nigeria; the Most Rev Drexel Gomez, Primate of the West Indies; the Most Rev Benjamin Nzimbi, Primate of Kenya, and the Most Rev Justice Akrofi, Primate of West Africa
Says the incoming Episcopal Presiding Bishop:
ìTo my esteemed brothers in Christ: While I have not yet had the privilege and honor to meet all of you, I very much look forward to working with you in the coming years as we endeavour to lead the Body of Christ in this portion called the Anglican Communion. I deeply value the possibilities we have in the Anglican Communion for addressing the mission God has given us to reconcile the world he has created.
ìIn the spirit of Lambeth 1998, the Episcopal Church has identified the Millennium Development Goals as the framework for our missional work in the coming years. I would hope we might see the common interest we all have for seeing those Goals met, as they provide a concrete image of the Reign of God in our own day, where the hungry are fed, the thirsty watered, and the prisoners of disease and oppression set free.
ìI understand that you will be in the United States in mid-November for a gathering at Falls Church, Virginia. Considering the difficulty and expense of such a journey, I hope that during your visit you might be willing to pay a call on me, so that we might begin to build toward such a missional relationship. If that is a possibility, I hope you will contact this office as soon as possible. I would be more than happy to alter my schedule to accommodate you. I look forward to hearing from you, and meeting you. May God bless your ministries and your travels.î
The service of consecration of Bishop Jefferts Schori as Presiding Bishop takes place in Washington National Cathedral.
“It is an amazing occasion for those of us who have laboured on behalf of women,” said the Rev Canon Carol Cole Flanagan, who served as Episcopal Womenís Caucus president from 1983-1988, in a news release.
She continued: “When I took office in 1983 most members of the Caucus identified themselves as refugees from the various dioceses that would not ordain them, and there were no ordained women on the Presiding Bishop’s staff and few in positions of leadership. We were still struggling for the election and appointment of lay women as well.”
Since that time the EWC has celebrated the election of Pamela Chinnis as vice president and subsequently president of the House of Deputies, the election and consecration of Barbara C. Harris as Suffragan Bishop of Massachusetts and the first female bishop in the Anglican Communion, and Vermont Bishop (now retired) Mary Adelia McLeod as the first female diocesan bishop in the U.S.
“This year deputy Bonnie Anderson of Michigan was elected President of the House of Deputies, and another glass ceiling has given way with the election as Presiding Bishop of Katharine Jefferts Schori,” noted the Rev Elizabeth M. Kaeton, current president of the EWC.
US woman Presiding Bishop extends olive branch to Anglican opponents
-04/11/06
Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, who will today be formally installed as Presiding Bishop in the Episcopal Church of the United States and other parts of the Americas, is seeking constructive relations with the other Anglican Primates ñ especially those who oppose a woman being in this position.
Dr Schori, who has a scientific background as an oceanographer, and who arouses the suspicions of self-styled traditionalist in the Church, is emphasizing her commitment to reconciliation and shared mission across the Anglican Communion.
Her letter, sent on 1 November 2006, constitutes the first act of Bishop Katharineís nine-year term. It is addressed to the Most Rev Peter Akinola, Primate of Nigeria; the Most Rev Drexel Gomez, Primate of the West Indies; the Most Rev Benjamin Nzimbi, Primate of Kenya, and the Most Rev Justice Akrofi, Primate of West Africa
Says the incoming Episcopal Presiding Bishop:
ìTo my esteemed brothers in Christ: While I have not yet had the privilege and honor to meet all of you, I very much look forward to working with you in the coming years as we endeavour to lead the Body of Christ in this portion called the Anglican Communion. I deeply value the possibilities we have in the Anglican Communion for addressing the mission God has given us to reconcile the world he has created.
ìIn the spirit of Lambeth 1998, the Episcopal Church has identified the Millennium Development Goals as the framework for our missional work in the coming years. I would hope we might see the common interest we all have for seeing those Goals met, as they provide a concrete image of the Reign of God in our own day, where the hungry are fed, the thirsty watered, and the prisoners of disease and oppression set free.
ìI understand that you will be in the United States in mid-November for a gathering at Falls Church, Virginia. Considering the difficulty and expense of such a journey, I hope that during your visit you might be willing to pay a call on me, so that we might begin to build toward such a missional relationship. If that is a possibility, I hope you will contact this office as soon as possible. I would be more than happy to alter my schedule to accommodate you. I look forward to hearing from you, and meeting you. May God bless your ministries and your travels.î
The service of consecration of Bishop Jefferts Schori as Presiding Bishop takes place in Washington National Cathedral.
“It is an amazing occasion for those of us who have laboured on behalf of women,” said the Rev Canon Carol Cole Flanagan, who served as Episcopal Womenís Caucus president from 1983-1988, in a news release.
She continued: “When I took office in 1983 most members of the Caucus identified themselves as refugees from the various dioceses that would not ordain them, and there were no ordained women on the Presiding Bishop’s staff and few in positions of leadership. We were still struggling for the election and appointment of lay women as well.”
Since that time the EWC has celebrated the election of Pamela Chinnis as vice president and subsequently president of the House of Deputies, the election and consecration of Barbara C. Harris as Suffragan Bishop of Massachusetts and the first female bishop in the Anglican Communion, and Vermont Bishop (now retired) Mary Adelia McLeod as the first female diocesan bishop in the U.S.
“This year deputy Bonnie Anderson of Michigan was elected President of the House of Deputies, and another glass ceiling has given way with the election as Presiding Bishop of Katharine Jefferts Schori,” noted the Rev Elizabeth M. Kaeton, current president of the EWC.