Fort Worth bishop demands right to respond to ‘abandonment’ charge

From Religious Intelligence:

Sunday, 11th January 2009. 8:33am

By: George Conger.

The Bishop of Fort Worth has called upon US Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori to honour due process and the rule of law, and give him an opportunity to respond to charges he has “abandoned” his priestly orders.

Fort Worth bishop demands right to respond to ‘abandonment’ charge

According to a report in The Church of England Newspaper, the Rt Rev Jack Iker —- speaking through his attorney Marshall Searcy —- wrote to Bishop Schori contesting the legality of her attempts to remove him from office and from the ordained ministry.

He charged the Presiding Bishop had perverted the rule of law in the church and that her novel interpretations of the canons in aid of expelling out the last Anglo-Catholics from the Episcopal Church were creating further division within the Anglican Communion.

The Presiding Bishop had removed the Bishop’s orders in a row over the national Church’s liberal direction.

The Presiding Bishop had moved unilaterally to remove Bishop Iker on the basis of a press release, but he is demanding legal redress.