Monday, June 1, 2009

What They Saw Is Exactly What They Got

Journalists and others frequently ask for a factual list of what the problems/trends are with The Episcopal Church. For those of you who have looked for such a detailed list, here is an excerpt from an informative list and analysis posted by the Anglican Curmudgeon:

2. The amount of its resources which ECUSA is devoting to litigation in the civil courts has multiplied even more enormously. As detailed in this post, ECUSA's budget for litigation went from an original estimate (at GC 2006) of $300,000 for the triennium 2007-2009 to a currently budgeted $4,704,138 for that same triennium, plus a further $1.8 million proposed to be budgeted for the next three years, for a total of over $6.5 million.

3. The number of clergy deposed since November 2006 (when the Presiding Bishop's term began) comes to 121 --- and counting. (With the recent action in San Joaquin, the number more than doubled.) That number is up from just 36 in the years 2004-2006 --- nearly a fourfold increase. (The details---excluding San Joaquin---are on pages 22-25 of this Report.) And now there are a potential 72 more depositions scheduled in Fort Worth.

4. Three bishops were "deposed" (not canonically) under the current Presiding Bishop, while she "deemed" another six to have voluntarily renounced their orders --- without their ever having in fact done so (see page 25 for details). That makes nine bishops removed in less than thirty-six months without bothering so much as once to observe the canonical procedures. (Previously, such an abuse had occurred only once in Presiding Bishop Griswold's term, and once in Presiding Bishop Browning's term; no one saw them for the canonical violations they were at the time, but an illegality can never serve as a precedent. And counting those two, there had been just five bishops of ECUSA deposed in the entire four-hundred year history of the Church, before Presiding Bishop Schori started her current campaign.)

The entire post is here.

3 comments:

Frank Remkiewicz aka “Tree” said...

Fr. McAlister,
2, return the property you took and the cost of litigation will go to zero;
3, Clergy willfully left the Episcopal Church. Deposition simply stated the obvious.
4, at least three bishops led a revolt and were dealt with accordingly. Non-canonically is merely an opinion.

David Katzakian said...

Very droll, Mr. Schwartz. Had the three bishops who were dealt with non-canonically been dealt with canonically, would that also be a matter of opinion?

DPK

Frank Remkiewicz aka “Tree” said...

Mr. Katzakian,
Seems it has made no never mind to any of the three. The bishops have not missed a step and apparently could care less. Heaven help Archbishop Venables when one or more gets another wild hair!