What the Bishops Have to Say About the Consecrations

[David Virtue]

WHAT THE BISHOPS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THE CONSECRATIONS…

Australian Primate, Abp. Peter Carnley, Perth, Australia.

Asked his opinion of the recent consecration in Singapore of two
bishops for the American Church by Archbishops Tay and Kolini and others,
Archbishop Carnley described their action as 'wicked.' He said such
'vagrant' bishops are irregular and unlawful within Anglicanism.

Canadian Anglican Primate blasts "aggressive" ordinations.
Archbishop Michael Peers has used the strongest language yet in the
widespread condemnation of irregular ordinations aimed at undermining the
leadership of the Episcopal Church in the United States.

Archbishop Peers, the Primate of The Anglican Church of Canada, termed
recent ordinations in Singapore "an act of aggression" and "an open and
premeditated assault on Anglican tradition, catholic order and Christian
charity. "Bishops are not intercontinental ballistic missiles, manufactured 
on one continent and fired into another as an act of aggression."

Archbishop Harry Goodhew of the Diocese of Sydney (Australia)

"I am surprised and not a little disappointed that people who were present
at Kampala, and expressed support for what was agreed upon, have moved now
beyond that agreement and have taken action that is contrary to the tenor
and spirit of our shared understanding," Archbishop Goodhew said.

An article on the web site of the conservative organization Forward in
Faith America says the ordinations are likely invalid because "certain
necessary ingredients to make the ordinations valid were missing and/or
certain impediments were present." It lists nine 'ingredients and
impediments,' including "the veil of secrecy surrounding the event did not
allow for a proper use of the Si quis," a clause in the ordination rite
which allows objections to be expressed.

The Archbishop of Canterbury termed the ordinations "irresponsible and
irregular" and said the action was "a grave disappointment." 
In the United States, Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold said he was "appalled" 
by the "singularly unhelpful" actions and "profoundly disturbed by the 
caricature that has been presented of the Episcopal Church in the United 
States."

Robert Wm. Duncan, Bishop of Pittsburgh
 
This is but another in the spiral of events of the
last thirty years by which the fabric and the direction of our Episcopal 
Church are being tested and shaped. 

I offered my moral and theological teaching (both then and following
Lambeth), and held up the possibility of alternative episcopal
oversight, should that ever become the best way forward for a
congregation within this diocese. JOHN RODGERS is one of the finest, 
humblest, brightest and most gracious priests I have ever known. He is now a 
missionary bishop. His home is in Ambridge. He will be welcomed by me as the 
leader and friend he is.

The Rt. Rev. Henry N. Parsley, Jr. Diocese of Alabama

I am saddened by the irregular ordination and consecration of two bishops in 
Singapore. I realize that there are among us many feelings and reactions to 
this action, and I would urge us not to react hastily or in anger.  While I 
acknowledge the conscience and conviction of those who have taken this 
action, I believe that it is unwise and detrimental to the mission of the 
church.  


Bishop Paul Marshall, Bishop of Bethlehem, PA.

I think that the case could be made that there was a "defect of intent" in 
Singapore. To consecrate bishops intending to create a fifth column in a 
place where the sacraments are already celebrated is to deny directly the 
nature of the episcopate as a sign of unity and the Church as the context in 
which Holy Orders have meaning. To ordain so clandestinely, without election 
and without the consent of the
laos, raises equally serious questions, including questions about the bona 
fides of bishops who choose not to ordain in "the face of the Church" in any 
meaningful sense. 

Bishop Larry Maze, Arkansas

I think this is the beginning of the unraveling of Anglican polity worldwide. 
I expect missionary Bishops John Rodgers of Ambridge and Charles Murphy of 
South Carolina to try to enter my diocese on behalf of the Province of 
Southeast Asia. 

I would think that the primates of the Anglican Communion would have to 
address the irregularities of these consecrations and declare them null and 
void.


Bishop Claude E. Payne, Bishop of Texas 

I regret the recent actions in Singapore because, instead of encouraging 
Christian community, it further magnifies a situation in which, once again, 
leaders have acted independently.  This is not a solution.  We are a 
worldwide community and we need to use our diversity as our strength. The 
consecration of two American priests is, I believe, a reaction by 
conservatives who are frustrated by the continued lack of due process in 
gaining consensus before decisions are made.

Bishop Wendell Gibbs, Michigan's new Episcopal bishop

What's going on in Singapore is a breakdown in communication. It is a sad day 
for the Anglican family. I hope that conversation can be restarted to bring 
some type of resolution to this. I am deeply offended that someone would 
think that the church in America is godless, that we need missionary bishops. 
I don't see the church
that way at all.

Charles Irving Jones, Bishop of Montana

The action by the two Primates and the other Bishops to ordain Bishops who 
have no jurisdictions will not help the process of discernment or the 
discussion within the church surrounding the issues of authority and 
sexuality. 

Stephen H. Jecko, Bishop of Florida

It has happened. I know the parties to this action, the consecrators and the 
new bishops, all to be honorable men who have acted out of a deep love for 
the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Anglican Communion, and our own 
Episcopal Church. I call us to demonize no one, and to speak only those 
things which build us up as God's people on the foundation of the apostles 
and prophets (Ephesians 2:20). 


C. Christopher Epting, Bishop Episcopal Diocese of Iowa

I obviously disagree with the action taken by these bishops, not
only because it was based on a false premise (i.e. that there is some kind of 
"crisis" in the Episcopal Church U.S.A.) but also because it undermines a 
fundamental unity of the Church in the selection and ordination process for 
her ministers.  Clearly, these new bishops (and I believe they are bishops, 
at least until some official process of the Anglican Communion deems them not 
to be so) are not bishops of the American Church.  Our bishops are elected by 
the popular consent of the people of a diocese, approved by a majority of the 
bishops and Standing Committees of dioceses in the Episcopal Church of the 
United States of America, and then ordained to that office.

Archbishop Louis Falk is primate of the Traditional Anglican Communion 

The Singapore consecrations…appear to have "stolen a march" not only on the 
upcoming Primates Meeting and agreements reached among the Primates at 
Kampala, but also on some of the members of the body itself (such as the Abp. 
of Sydney). Yet it is also true that the situation in ECUSA appears to have 
become so bizarre and so irreversible, that an argument could be made that 
further delay would compromise chances to counteract the poison beyond 
repair. And it may be argued as well that
the need for some sort of dramatic action to "concentrate the minds" of
those who still think they will ram the modernist lorry through the
portals of Anglicanism without effective opposition, was so great that
extraordinary tactics were required.

John Howe - Bishop of Florida
In all honesty I'm not surprised. Some of us have been trying to warn
the American church that unless we are willing to uphold the overwhelming 
votes of the Lambeth Conference a year ago last summer, something like this 
could occur. Especially where the so-called Revisionists are attempting to 
force their views upon orthodox congregations, there has to be this kind of a 
backlash. But I don't think this will solve the problem, and I am saddened to 
see folks resorting to what is really a desperate measure.

Bishop Edward L. Salmon, Jr. Bishop of South Carolina

The consecrations pose serious questions about the relationships of
Provinces of the Anglican Communion to the American Church, doctrinal
and canonical issues within the American church, and canonical questions 
within the Diocese of South Carolina. Bishop Murphy is a bishop, I suppose in 
the Diocese of Singapore. He is still on the records of the Diocese of South 
Carolina as a priest of this diocese, since no letter dimissory has been sent 
or asked for. 

I believe that in all of these events, it is important to minimize
further divisions and to urge the whole church to seek a Godly solution. This 
action is obviously a symptom of much larger issues. More anger and hatred 
will not help the situation.

END