SALT LAKE CITY: House of Bishops Votes 87 to 36 to Depose Bishop Duncan

Posted by David Virtue at VirtueOnline on 2008/9/17 15:10:00:

SALT LAKE CITY: House of Bishops Votes to Depose Bishop Duncan 87 to 36 with four abstentions

By David W. Virtue
www.virtueonline.org
9/18/2009

The Episcopal Church House of Bishops today passed a resolution formally requesting that the Bishop of Pittsburgh, the Rt. Rev. Robert Duncan be deposed from the Episcopal Church for abandoning the communion of the church.

By a vote of 87 to 36 with four abstentions the HOB overwhelming moved to have the evangelical catholic bishop removed as a bishop from the TEC. It is now up to Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori to officially depose him. She is expected to do that before The Diocesan Convention in 2 weeks.

The Rt. Rev. Dorsey Henderson, president of the Title IV Review Committee changed his vote yes to no after the vote was taken, a source told VOL.

Springfield Bishop Peter Beckwith described the debate for deposition as "shallow".

"They were blaming Bishop Duncan saying he needed to be deposed because he said terrible things about the House of Bishops."

"I have never seen so many retired bishops at a HOB meeting. The majority voted for deposition. The hypocrisy was incredible. They talked about standards and being accountable and holding each other accountable, but they never saw that anything they did was wrong or that they were culpable for their actions."

Beckwith rose to say that he supported a statement put out by the Bishop and Standing Committee of the Diocese of Albany that, among other things, called for an end to litigation and depositions.

"I support that document fully and without reservation. To proceed with the action will be a gross misuse of power and miscarriage of justice and will be seen by a great many as an ecclesiastical lynching. I am embarrassed to be a part of it.

The Rev. Peter Frank, Pittsburgh Communications Director said Bishop Duncan will not contest the vote. "The Standing Committee will now be the ecclesiastical authority through the diocesan convention."

The following is a list of those who voted against the motion to depose Bishop Duncan: They are Albany, Dallas, Western Kansas, Central Florida, SC, Suffragan Bishop of Alabama, Tennessee, Southwest Florida, Easton, MD, Montana, NJ, Milwaukee, Nthn. Indiana, OK, VA, RI, NW Texas, Eastern TN, Mississippi. Louisiana and Western LA.

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