Justice for All
Yesterday afternoon, it looked like we were about to walk apart from the Communion with the rejection of Resolution A161, one of the Church’s responses to the Windsor Report.
Last night, fortunes changed when Deputies passed the revised A159, on our commitment to interdependence, and the rewritten A166, on the development of a covenant. Deputies refused to allow amendments, clearly stating that we need to stay in the Communion and allow new Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori to take part in the conversation.
If we truly want to remain Anglicans, our chance to do so comes this morning.
Today is the last day of Convention – what we do today will resonate throughout the Communion.
The question before Convention is one of justice – justice for gay and lesbian Episcopalians, as well as justice for the rest of the Communion – and how we are to live into this tension.
Immediately following the Eucharist this morning, Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold will address a joint session, to help Convention craft a response to the Anglican Communion. This is the time for both Deputies and Bishops to be focused, not on individual desires and ideas, but on what we share as Anglicans and how to communicate that message to the rest of the world.
Despite yesterday afternoon’s actions, which left many in a bit of shock, we seem determined to honor our heritage. How that will look at the end of the day is uncertain, but last night, Deputies took a positive step forward.
We need to keep going.
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