On Saturday, by an overwhelming vote of 173 – 22, the Diocese of San Joaquin, California became the first whole diocese in history to leave the Episcopal Church U.S.A. (ECUSA).The decision was primarily fueled by the recent trajectory of the Episcopal Church with regard to same-sex marriage and the ordination of practicing homosexuals. After the vote, Bishop John-David Schofield, a long-time advocate of orthodox Anglicanism, told the crowd, “This is a historic moment… this is a vote for freedom.”
Saturday’s vote for secession opened the door for a second motion, allowing the diocese to align with the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone, a South American Jurisdiction in communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury. The motion carried.
The convocation of 88 clergy and 113 delegates had gathered for their 48th annual diocesan convention at St. James Cathedral in Fresno over the weekend. They represented over 8,500 Episcopalians organized into 47 congregations in the central California diocese.
On Friday, their bishop stated in his address to the gathering that he would probably be retiring by the 2009 General Convention and he did not see any orthodox candidate in the wings that could continue to lead the diocese.
Prior to the convention, in a letter to Schofield ECUSA Presiding Bishop Katherine Jefforts Schori called upon the bishop not to withdraw. As the first female bishop elected to lead the denomination, Jefforts Schori supports the new practices of the Episcopal Church in allowing same-sex marriage and the ordination of partnered gays and lesbians.
The diocesan decision effectively removed any reference of the Episcopal Church from its constitution, instead describing them as "a constituent member of the Anglican Communion and in full communion with the See of Canterbury." While the vote sealed the future of the diocese as a whole, Bishop Schofield speculated that at least five parishes might choose to stay with ECUSA.
According to the Episcopal News Service (ENS), the Presiding Bishop made the following statement upon hearing of the decision.
"The Episcopal Church receives with sadness the news that some members of this church have made a decision to leave this church. We deeply regret their unwillingness or inability to live within the historical Anglican understanding of comprehensiveness. We wish them to know of our prayers for them and their journey. The Episcopal Church will continue in the Diocese of San Joaquin, albeit with new leadership,"
One delegate was quoted by ENS as saying that the decision was a good thing. “We can get on with our ministry,” she said, “now that this diocese is free of this poison.” Emotion was running high by those on both sides of the debate that lead up to the vote. A group had even been formed within the diocese called “Remain Episcopal” to battle the secession.
David Virtue, of Virtue Online – an Internet site that follows the activities of global Anglicanism – noted that Bishop Schofield met with a gathering of reporters on December 7. The bishop told them that the consecration of an openly gay bishop in 2003 was merely a "flashpoint" for those who had had "enough because of the liberal theology of the Episcopal Church.
“Those who want to remain Episcopalians, but reject the biblical standards of morality, the ultimate authority of the Bible, and the biblical revelation of God to us in His Son the only savior of mankind, will in the end be left solely with a name and a bureaucratic structure," he said.
The statement was made as Schofield was flanked by Bishop Robert Duncan of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, and Bolivia Bishop Frank Lyons from the Southern Cone province. Bishop Duncan’s diocese, along with the Dioceses of Fort Worth, Texas, and Quincy, Illinois, had already taken initial steps toward realignment. Pittsburgh, however, voted to remain for the immediate future while the others are moving more aggressively toward separation.
While the Diocese of San Joaquin is the first to leave as a whole, approximately 55 parishes have left in recent years over similar issues, realigning with other Anglican groups. In joining The Province of the Southern Cone, San Joaquin joins about 22,000 other Anglicans encompassing Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay.
The decision may seem like the obvious canonical solution for a group who desires to remain orthodox. Some within the Anglican Communion, however, have disputed the reports by Bishop Lyons of the Southern Cone that the Archbishop of Canterbury has approved the affiliation and are calling for confirmation. The diocese may also face a bitter battle to hold on to the diocesan assets and real estate holdings.
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