POPE FOUND TO BE CATHOLIC

from Midwest Conservative Journal by The Editor

It might interest you to know that the Episcopal Organization isn’t going to get run from the Anglican Communion any time soon:

A proposal from Dato’ Stanley Isaacs that The Episcopal Church be separated from the Communion led to a discussion in which Committee members acknowledged the anxieties felt in parts of the Communion about sexuality issues.

Isaacs’ suggestion was shot down. Guess why.

Nevertheless, the overwhelming opinion was that separation would inhibit dialogue

You can set your clocks by these people.

on this and other issues among Communion Provinces, dioceses and individuals and would therefore be unhelpful. The proposal was not passed, and the group agreed to defer further discussion until progress on Continuing [Real African Word] project had been considered.

In other words, they’re not going to have a dialogue about this subject until they finish the rest of their yammering. Which basically means that the Episcopalians can rest easy.

This is good news for the Episcopal Organization, right? Depends on who you ask. Mark Harris, for example, doesn’t seem to have heard the one about gift horses.

What is astounding about this proposal is that it was considered. The notion that the Standing Committee has the power to effect a separation is not even suggested in the Anglican Covenant being proposed. There the Standing Committee could recommend to various instruments of the communion a course of action, but those instruments would have to act.

Here, in the context of the Standing Committee meeting itself apparently the proposal was discussed and failed to pass. It was not considered out of order.

So, here it is, dear friends. The Standing Committee believes it has the power to pass on a resolution that The Episcopal Church be separated from the Anglican Communion. THERE IS NO RECORD OF OBJECTION. Further, we have no idea what actually went on in the discussion that followed because the meetings are closed.

So a closed meeting of the Standing Committee can consider a proposal to separate The Episcopal Church from the Anglican Communion, supposedly with the understanding that such a proposal was in order. It failed not because the power of the Standing Committee was challenged, but because it was felt to be premature and the Standing Committee awaited further input.

Harris and most of his commenters, predictably bat crap over the insult, are ready to pull the financial plug the day before yesterday.

A lot of that is the usual temper tantrum Episcopalians throw whenever anyone looks at them funny or criticiizes them in any way. But the power question Harris raises is an interesting one.

It boils down to this: in the Anglican Communion, you have the power to do pretty much anything you want to unless you don’t.

That is, Harris’ pseudo-ecclesial entity had the power to give a pointy hat to an unrepentant sinner and unilaterally change 2,000 years of Christian teaching but the rest of the Christian association to which Harris’ pseudo-ecclesial entity belongs does not have the power to call them on it.

Got it? Are we clear on all this? Good. Live to serve.