From the Diocese of Springfield

The Diocese of Springfield’s Leaders Respond to the Presiding Bishops Failure to Follow the Canons


Whereas, by a vote taken on March 12, 2008, members of the House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church purported to take action deposing the Rt. Rev. John-David Schofield and the Rt. Rev. William J. Cox from the ministry of this Church, on the charge that, by affiliating with another Province of the Anglican Communion, they had “abandoned” the communion of this Church; and

Whereas, the process of deposition of a Bishop is an extraordinary one that must be approached in a prayerful manner with full cognizance of and respect for the procedural safeguards created to prevent the abuse of such a process; and


Whereas, the Canons mandate, as one safeguard, that such an action may only be taken by an extraordinary vote, that being “a majority of the whole number of Bishops entitled to vote” (Canon IV.9 (b)); and

Whereas, even if all Bishops registered at the March 2008 meeting had voted in favor of the depositions, that number would not have constituted “a majority of the whole number of Bishops entitled to vote”, as that number is defined in the first sentence of Article I.1.2 of the Constitution of the General Convention; and

Whereas, the members of the House gathered failed even to take a record of those voting in the affirmative on the issue of these depositions; and

Whereas, no reasoned explanation has been offered for the clearly non-canonical process that was followed; and

Whereas, prior failure to follow appropriate canonical procedure, as has been asserted, is not sufficient justification for these non-canonical actions; therefore

Be it resolved that the Standing Committee of the Diocese of Springfield joins the Dioceses of South Carolina and Western Louisiana in rejecting the purported depositions of Bishops Schofield and Cox; and further

Be it resolved that the Standing Committee of the Diocese of Springfield calls upon the Presiding Bishop, her staff and the House of Bishops to acknowledge publicly that the depositions of Bishops Schofield and Cox were not validly procured, and, should it be their desire to continue to seek depositions in these questionable circumstances, to revisit this issue at a future meeting of House of Bishops, conducting any further proceedings in accordance with the clear language of Canon.

--Approved and adopted, May 22, 2008

--Officially endorsed by The Rt. Rev Peter H. Beckwith, May 23, 2008

--Officially endorsed by Diocesan Council, May 23, 2008