PITTSBURGH: Bishop's Attorney Says Presiding Bishop Should Face Presentment

News Analysis

By David W. Virtue
www.virtueonline.org
3/31/2008

Two letters recently written by the attorney for Bishop Robert Duncan to David
Booth Beers, Chancellor to Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, show that
the Presiding Bishop has violated the Canons of The Episcopal Church and denied
Bishop Duncan fundamental due process.

After failing to get the necessary consents to inhibit Bishop Duncan for
"abandonment of communion", Jefferts Schori announced her intention to bring the
"issue" of Bishop Duncan to the House of Bishops meeting in September, even
though the canons refer only to an "inhibited bishop".

Jefferts Schori wrote to the HOB saying she hoped for a one-day May meeting, but
felt "that there was not adequate desire for it on the part of the House...so
this will be determined after a poll in April."

Jefferts Schori also wrote a letter to Bishop Duncan asking him to state if he
intended to remain in the Episcopal Church, making it unclear whether Duncan had
in fact abandoned the communion of the church.. Bishop Duncan responded giving
her the assurances she asked for. However, despite such reassurances, she says
she still intends to move forward with her plans to "depose" the orthodox
bishop.

After she wrote the letter, Jefferts Schori sent an e- mail to the House of
Bishops asking for interest in a special meeting of the House of Bishops to
"depose" Bishop Duncan for abandonment of communion. This e-mail was not sent to
Bishop Duncan, even though he remains a member of the house of bishops

In his two letters to Beers attorney John H. Lewis, Jr., ripped the attorney for
not sending Duncan and his Assistant Bishop, Henry Scriven, an e-mail sent to
the House of Bishops calling for Duncan to be deposed at the "special meeting"
of the House of Bishops.

In a letter, dated March 28, obtained by VOL, Lewis wrote saying that neither
Bishop Duncan nor Melanie Contz, executive assistant to Bishop Duncan, had
received the e-mail which Jefferts Schori sent to the HOB, called their removal
from the e-mail list "improper" and requested that the bishop be restored
"immediately" to the (HOB) e-mail list.

Then Jefferts Schori wrote another letter to Bishop Duncan admitting that it is
unclear whether he has Abandoned the Communion of the church. Even after writing
that letter, she sent an email to the House of Bishops asking for interest in a
special meeting of the House of Bishops to "depose" Bishop Duncan for
Abandonment of Communion.

In her e-mail, Jefferts Schori said that all relevant material relating to
Bishop Duncan is on the House of Bishops website, but that the website does not
include all the letters that have been written including those of Bishop
Duncan's.

All of this, combined with Jefferts Schori's violations of the canons in the
recent "depositions" of bishops John-David Schofield and William Cox, suggests
that the Title IV Review Committee, which has been grinding out certifications
and presentments against orthodox bishops, should consider a presentment against
Jefferts Schori for violating the canons of the Episcopal Church.

You can read the letter and enclosures from Bishop Duncan's attorney by clicking
here.

http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/content/Lewis-Beers_letter_0308.pdf

Update: Bishop Robert Duncan, Bishop Henry Scriven and Melanie Contz began again
receiving emails from the House of Bishops at approximately 1 pm on Monday,
March 31. Bishop Duncan's March 14 response to the Presiding Bishop has also
been added to the College for Bishops website.

END