NORTHERN MICHIGAN: House of Bishops Repudiates Forrester to be Bishop

Posted by David Virtue at VirtueOnline on 2009/5/28 15:30:00:


Special Report

By David W. Virtue with Mary Ann Mueller
www.virtueonline.org
5/28/2009

A majority of The House of Bishops has turned its collective back on the Rev. Thew Forrester even though all the votes have not been cast, nor are all the cast votes known. 50 bishops have said no, 25 bishops have yet to declare their votes but they cannot swing the vote in his favor. He is one vote short of becoming the next Bishop of Northern Michigan.

52 Standing Committees have also said no.

According to a VOL tally the current bishop-elect does not have enough un-cast votes left to allow him to wear the title "Rt. Rev." before his name.

He will not be able to add the consecration as an Episcopal bishop to his resume list of ordinations which includes the Diaconate, The Episcopal priesthood and that of a lay Buddhist.

Three besetting issues tripped Forrester up. They are his Buddhist ties, that he was the only candidate for bishop raising procedural questions and rewriting Prayer Book services including baptismal rites.

All U.S. Episcopal dioceses were directly contacted by VOL staff.