A
Pittsburgh Episcopal Voice was created by Pittsburgh
Episcopalians alarmed at the prospect of our diocesan leaders
trying to take the diocese out of The Episcopal Church. On October
4, 2008, our fears were realized. The diocesan convention voted to
transfer the diocese from The Episcopal Church to the Anglican
Province of the Southern Cone.
The action of the convention was
improper and, therefore, null and void. Alas, it was supported by
all but one member of the Standing Committee, which, in the absence
of a bishop, was the highest authority of the diocese. In light of
the departure from The Episcopal Church of his fellow committee
members, the non-“realigning” Standing Committee member, the Rev.
Jim Simons, appointed two additional members of The Episcopal Church
to the committee, and the resulting three-person Standing Committee
was quickly recognized as the ecclesiastical authority of the
Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh by Presiding Bishop Katharine
Jefferts Schori.
Meanwhile, the “realigners,” who are
illegitimately in control of many diocesan assets, are not properly
a diocese, and, although they claim to be a part of the Anglican
Province of the Southern Cone, are in no way eligible for such a
designation by the canons of that Anglican province.
The main task of A Pittsburgh
Episcopal Voice, which was to educate members of the diocese in
preparation for the “realignment” vote, has now been completed. We
were unsuccessful at avoiding a painful schism in our diocese. It is
now time to rebuild our diocese and not look back on the painful
events that brought us to our present situation.
As of October 10, 2008, we will no
longer be updating this site, although this note may be revised to
reflect changing circumstances. We will, however. be leaving this
site on the Web, as it contains links to material of continuing
interest. As October 24, 2009, this site is the responsibility of
Progressive
Episcopalians of Pittsburgh. Note
that the Web site of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh may now be
found at http://episcopalpgh.org.
As of October 25, 2008, this site has
been off the Web for about three weeks. We apologize for any
inconvenience.
Click on a category below to view
available material in that category. New categories will be flagged
as they are added, and categories that have been updated will be so
marked.
NOTE: Readers unfamiliar with
many of the recurring terms encountered here, may want first to look
at “Questions on the Current
Controversy Facing The Episcopal Church,” under Preliminaries.
This document is now a bit out-of-date, but much of it is still
useful. “Realignment Reconsidered,” under
Church Polity, will help you understand the pressing issues in the
Diocese of Pittsburgh in the fall of 2008 and will help bring your
understanding up-to-date. Happy reading!
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