With yesterday's action of the PB of TEC interpreting Bishop Iker's announcement that he is now a bishop of the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone as a renunciation of his episcopal orders, the PB goes too far. Apparently now, all members of the clergy transferring from one province of the Anglican Communion to another should be so deposed. Or perhaps it is just those leaving The Episcopal Church, because it now stands alone.
She writes, "Other, similar letters … have also been treated as voluntary renunciations and with the consent of my Council of Advice I have accepted them and removed and released those bishops from our ordained ministry, (emphasis added) as well."
It is a new day in Narnia my friends - always Winter, never Christmas.
The Canon she invokes reads:
Title III, Canon 12 Sec. 7. Renunciation of the Ordained Ministry
(a) If any Bishop of this Church not subject to the provisions of Canon IV.8 shall declare, in writing, to the Presiding Bishop a renunciation of the ordained Ministry of this Church, and a desire to be removed therefrom, (emphasis added) it shall be the duty of the Presiding Bishop to record the declaration and request so made. The Presiding Bishop, being satisfied that the person so declaring is not subject to the provisions of Canon IV.8 but is acting voluntarily and for causes, assigned or known, which do not affect the person's moral character, shall lay the matter before the Advisory Council to the Presiding Bishop, and with the advice and consent of a majority of the members of the Advisory Council the Presiding Bishop may pronounce that such renunciation is accepted, and that the Bishop is released from the obligations of all Ministerial offices, and is deprived of the right to exercise the gifts and spiritual authority as a Minister of God's Word and Sacraments conferred in Ordinations. The Presiding Bishop shall also declare in pronouncing and recording such action that it was for causes which do not affect the person's moral character, and shall, if desired, give a certificate to this effect to the person so removed.
Bishop Iker's statement (see the previous post on this blog) does not fulfill the requirements of this canon. In fact, I don't believe that he even sent it to her.
Canons? We don't need no steenkin' canons.....
And all of this "breaking news" on Saint Nicholas' Day... Oh that he who smacked the heretic Arius at the Council of Nicaea were around today... Who knows what might be accomplished?
Happy Santa Claus' Day!
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