Calif. Diocese Steps Back From Outright Split, but Future Path Seems Clear

c. 2006 Religion News Service (UNDATED) An Episcopal diocese in California distanced itself from the national church Saturday (Dec. 1) over disagreements about homosexuality and the Bible, but stopped short of the full split it had been considering. The Fresno-based Diocese of San Joaquin has been closely watched by Episcopalians and Anglicans across the globe, […]

c. 2006 Religion News Service

(UNDATED) An Episcopal diocese in California distanced itself from the national church Saturday (Dec. 1) over disagreements about homosexuality and the Bible, but stopped short of the full split it had been considering.

The Fresno-based Diocese of San Joaquin has been closely watched by Episcopalians and Anglicans across the globe, especially after Bishop John-David Schofield said it could become the “vanguard” of a new Anglican jurisdiction in North America.


But San Joaquin backed away from earlier language calling for a full split because it was “too specific” and would have “locked us into something” at a time when the Anglican landscape is shifting, said the Rev. Van McCalister, a spokesman for the diocese.

Instead, delegates to the diocese’s convention removed language from its constitution that calls for agreement and consent with the laws of the national church. The amendment must be approved by two-thirds of the delegates at the next convention, in October 2007, before it takes effect, McCalister said.

Home to an estimated 10,000 Episcopalians, San Joaquin is one of three U.S. dioceses that do not ordain women, putting it at odds with the new presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, Katharine Jefferts Schori.

Conservatives are also concerned about Jefferts Schori’s support for ordaining gay bishops and blessing same-sex unions. Since her election, seven U.S. dioceses _ including San Joaquin _ have asked to be put under the guidance of someone else.

Jefferts Schori said Monday that she “deeply lament(s)” San Joaquin’s actions to “repudiate their membership in the Episcopal Church.” Earlier, Jefferts Schori had warned San Joaquin of legal consequences, which typically include battles over church property, should the diocese secede.

“I will continue to consult with others involved in responding to this extracanonical action,” Jefferts Schori said.

Tensions within the Episcopal Church over homosexuality and the authority of traditional interpretations of Scripture have mounted since an openly gay man was consecrated bishop of New Hampshire in 2003.


Some conservative parishes have left the Episcopal Church and placed themselves under the guidance of theological allies in other branches of the worldwide Anglican Communion. San Joaquin would have been the first U.S. diocese to leave the church.

McCalister said San Joaquin decided to back off its secession plans after meeting with Anglican leaders from Africa, the West Indies and Southeast Asia in November. “After that meeting it became apparent that many bishops were acting very deliberately and very rapidly” to come up with an alternative structure for disgruntled U.S. conservatives, McCalister said.

Also last week, Virginia Bishop Peter Lee warned two historic parishes in his diocese that leaving the Episcopal Church invites legal consequences. Church leaders at Truro Church in Fairfax, Va., and The Falls Church in Falls Church, Va., voted late last month to affiliate themselves with the Anglican Church of Nigeria.

KRE/PH END BURKE

Editors: To obtain file photos of Schofield and Jefferts Schori, go to the RNS Web site at https://religionnews.com. On the lower right, click on “photos,” then search by subject or slug.

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