From the AAC: Jefferts Schori seeks allies overseas Source: Huffington Post August 13, 2010 By Daniel Burke Religion News Service (RNS) Contrary to what they say about Las Vegas, what happens in one branch of the Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori worldwide Anglican Communion rarely stays there. And no one knows this more than the former Episcopal bishop of Sin City, Katharine Jefferts Schori, who is now presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church. Jefferts Schori recently wrapped up a whirlwind tour of six Anglican provinces--all of them English-speaking--where she defended her church's acceptance of gay bishops and same-sex unions, and its commitment to maintaining ties with other provinces. In June and July, Jefferts Schori traveled to Canada, Scotland, England, Australia, New Zealand and Wales, addressing synods, preaching at cathedrals, sitting on panels, talking with parishioners, and meeting with powerful archbishops. At almost every stop, the presiding bishop's message was subtle but clear: her church's embrace of gays and lesbians is grounded in the gospel, and the Anglican Communion has always allowed local autonomy in its provinces. Jefferts Schori and her staff say the visits abroad were planned well before the controversy that followed the May 15 consecration of Bishop Mary Douglas Glasspool in Los Angeles, the second openly gay bishop in the 2.1 million-member Episcopal Church, the U.S. branch of Anglicanism. Still, her timing could not have been more fortuitous. In the weeks before a top Anglican committee decided whether to punish the Episcopal Church for ignoring warnings not to consecrate Glasspool, Jefferts Schori visited the homelands--and sometimes home churches--of five of the committee's 13 members. (Jefferts Schori herself and another U.S. bishop hold seats on the panel, the Anglican Communion Standing Committee.) On July 24, the panel firmly rejected a proposal to "separate" the Episcopal Church from the rest of the communion, calling the move premature and "unhelpful." In a recent webcast, Jefferts Schori was asked if she was trying to shore up support from other provinces before the meeting. "That was certainly not the intent," she answered. "It may have been a byproduct." "We have partners all across the Anglican Communion," Jefferts Schori continued. "These visits had been set up some time ago, well before the timing of the Standing Committee meeting was known, basically as a way of building relationships between our respective provinces." Neva Rae Fox, a spokeswoman for the Episcopal Church, said Jefferts Schori was not available for further comment on her travels.... The rest of the article may be found here. ___________________