The Anglican Curmudgeon has a possible explanation for the petulant, childish mood Katharine Jefferts Schori has been in lately:
"But according to reports received by the Rev. George Conger (which I have confirmed through an independent source), the Presiding Bishop’s Chancellor, David Booth Beers, told some ECUSA bishops gathered for the Living Our Vows training session at the Lake Logan Episcopal Center in North Carolina (held from May 24-28) that the Archbishop had conveyed to the Presiding Bishop a private request that she withdraw from her position on the Standing Committee of the Anglican Communion, and not attend the next Primates’ Meeting. It would thus appear that since there was a letter delivered, the request either was in the letter itself, or else the letter asked Bishop Jefferts Schori to listen to what Canon Kearon would say to her in private. (The latter option, if true, would permit spokespersons on both sides of the Atlantic to deny that any “written request to step down” had been sent.) But Chancellor Beers left no doubt: the request was made. And whichever way it was made, it also would seem, to put it mildly, that the request was not well received.
"According to Chancellor Beers again, the Presiding Bishop responded in private that she would not step down from the Standing Committee, because she had been elected to the Committee by the collected primates of North and South America, and the Archbishop had no power to remove her. (If the account as related to Fr. Conger is correct, there would be some degree of overstatement involved: of course the Archbishop would not claim any authority to remove persons from the Standing Committee, since no such authority is given to him by the ACC Bylaws. But he would certainly be within his moral authority to request that Bishop Jefferts Schori voluntarily step down.)"
The Archbishop of Canterbury may not have the authority to remove the Presiding Bishop from the Standing Committee. But Anglican bishops don’t go to Primates Meetings unless he invites them there.
Which may account for the recent Southwark dust-up. Primates may get a pass; regular priests have to obey the rules. If Dr. Williams has, in fact, told Mrs. Schori to stay home next January, it follows that he is open to the idea that there is no longer(or not at this particular moment) an Anglican primate in the United States.
So what does my gracious lord of Canterbury do about the Primates Meeting?
Invite Bob Duncan? Doubtful; the moment he does that, the Anglican Church in North America is “officially” Anglican regardless of Communion rules and I don’t think he’s quite ready to take that step.
Ask Mrs. Schori to send a representative? Probably a waste of time. Invite her predecessor? Frank won’t go. Invite one or all of the Communion Partner bishops? That’s probably his safest course of action although the CP bishops will no doubt catch hell once they return home.
The problem for Dr. Williams is if Mrs. Schori isn’t there, other liberal primates might not be either. It’ll certainly be tough for Fred Hiltz to crawl back from his expressed position of support for the Americans.
If this story is confirmed, which it isn’t yet, what happens? I have no idea. But I suspect that the Anglican Communion’s days are numbered.
Thanks to Wannabe Anglican for the heads-up.
UPDATE: From George Conger.
The letter exists … the CEN article cited by the Anglican Curmudgeon cites the press secretary for the ACC, who confirmed a letter from Dr. Williams to Bishop Jefferts Schori was hand delivered by the ACC Sec Gen on April 17 at the consecration of Bishop Ian Douglas in Connecticut.
"But according to reports received by the Rev. George Conger (which I have confirmed through an independent source), the Presiding Bishop’s Chancellor, David Booth Beers, told some ECUSA bishops gathered for the Living Our Vows training session at the Lake Logan Episcopal Center in North Carolina (held from May 24-28) that the Archbishop had conveyed to the Presiding Bishop a private request that she withdraw from her position on the Standing Committee of the Anglican Communion, and not attend the next Primates’ Meeting. It would thus appear that since there was a letter delivered, the request either was in the letter itself, or else the letter asked Bishop Jefferts Schori to listen to what Canon Kearon would say to her in private. (The latter option, if true, would permit spokespersons on both sides of the Atlantic to deny that any “written request to step down” had been sent.) But Chancellor Beers left no doubt: the request was made. And whichever way it was made, it also would seem, to put it mildly, that the request was not well received.
"According to Chancellor Beers again, the Presiding Bishop responded in private that she would not step down from the Standing Committee, because she had been elected to the Committee by the collected primates of North and South America, and the Archbishop had no power to remove her. (If the account as related to Fr. Conger is correct, there would be some degree of overstatement involved: of course the Archbishop would not claim any authority to remove persons from the Standing Committee, since no such authority is given to him by the ACC Bylaws. But he would certainly be within his moral authority to request that Bishop Jefferts Schori voluntarily step down.)"
The Archbishop of Canterbury may not have the authority to remove the Presiding Bishop from the Standing Committee. But Anglican bishops don’t go to Primates Meetings unless he invites them there.
Which may account for the recent Southwark dust-up. Primates may get a pass; regular priests have to obey the rules. If Dr. Williams has, in fact, told Mrs. Schori to stay home next January, it follows that he is open to the idea that there is no longer(or not at this particular moment) an Anglican primate in the United States.
So what does my gracious lord of Canterbury do about the Primates Meeting?
Invite Bob Duncan? Doubtful; the moment he does that, the Anglican Church in North America is “officially” Anglican regardless of Communion rules and I don’t think he’s quite ready to take that step.
Ask Mrs. Schori to send a representative? Probably a waste of time. Invite her predecessor? Frank won’t go. Invite one or all of the Communion Partner bishops? That’s probably his safest course of action although the CP bishops will no doubt catch hell once they return home.
The problem for Dr. Williams is if Mrs. Schori isn’t there, other liberal primates might not be either. It’ll certainly be tough for Fred Hiltz to crawl back from his expressed position of support for the Americans.
If this story is confirmed, which it isn’t yet, what happens? I have no idea. But I suspect that the Anglican Communion’s days are numbered.
Thanks to Wannabe Anglican for the heads-up.
UPDATE: From George Conger.
The letter exists … the CEN article cited by the Anglican Curmudgeon cites the press secretary for the ACC, who confirmed a letter from Dr. Williams to Bishop Jefferts Schori was hand delivered by the ACC Sec Gen on April 17 at the consecration of Bishop Ian Douglas in Connecticut.
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