Episcopalians let bishop know they are still divided
By SHARON TUBBS
Published October 9, 2004
SARASOTA - Still in turmoil over the issue, Episcopalians on Friday peppered the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church USA with questions about the consecration of a gay bishop last year.
About 450 people gathered for a town-hall style meeting at St. Wilfred's Episcopal Church during the Diocese of Southwest Florida's annual convention.
Frank T. Griswold, wearing a black suit and collar, gave a brief talk about listening to one another, despite differences of opinion.
"We stand together at a place where love, rather than rancor or suspicion, binds us together," he told the crowd.
Then came the questions.
"I do not understand how you, our presiding bishop, can condone and allow and continue to condone the consecration of (Bishop) Gene Robinson," Cathie Meyer, a member of Church of the Redeemer in Sarasota, said to a round of applause.
Griswold said he and other Episcopalians believe "there are people who are deeply oriented toward affections for people of the same sex."
God's grace can work in their lives, too, he said.
The Episcopal Church has remained in turmoil since Griswold and a majority of church leaders allowed Robinson to become a bishop. Robinson is gay and lives with his longtime partner.
In the past year, angry Episcopalians have withheld donations to the national church in protest. Some bishops formed a network intent on bringing the church back to its traditional roots.
The Episcopal Church is a part of the Anglican Communion, the religious umbrella that originated in England and has 38 provinces worldwide. Anglican leaders worldwide have denounced their American brethren.
Earlier this week, Archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria told the Associated Press that America's Episcopalians had effectively created a "new religion."
Griswold's visit came 10 days before a highly anticipated report from the Lambeth Commission on Communion, a group of Anglican leaders who discussed the relationship with the American church in light of Robinson's consecration.
John B. Lipscomb, bishop to about 36,000 Episcopalians north to Brooksville and south to Marco Island, has been vocal in his opposition to the consecration. He is among a group of bishops who have proposed a two-year period of "restorative discipline" for the American church.
Throughout Friday's two-hour meeting, Lipscomb sat cordially nodding and smiling. Some Episcopalians asked about the church's commitment to diversity and ways to attract youth, but sexuality was the dominant topic.
"These issues are wrong," said Sheila Dean, a member of Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit in Safety Harbor. Dean noted that Lipscomb had been "traveling and politicking" for the conservative point of view" - a point of view with which she agrees.
"Will there be any further ordinations or blessings of men who are homosexual?" she asked.
Those matters are typically worked through at the diocesan level, Griswold said, then added, "I have a sense that at this point, that will not continue."
Russell Johnson, dean and rector at St. Peter's Episcopal Cathedral in St. Petersburg, said the church should move on to more important issues, such as helping people worldwide, he said.
"Do you think there will come a time when we have the same heat and light for our brothers who are dying of AIDS?" he asked, as claps sounded through the church.
Griswold agreed, but said some Anglican leaders are beginning to refuse American aid in a show of protest. The meeting ended with a slide show of images of Jesus and peaceful music. Words flashed on screen. "Look for Him with the wide, trusting eyes of a child."
Griswold will preach during a service at 9 a.m. today at St. Stephen's Episcopal School in Bradenton as the convention continues.
