(RNS) The Diocese of Pittsburgh voted Saturday (Oct. 4) to split from the Episcopal Church, becoming the second diocese to leave the national church over differences on homosexuality and the Bible.
A wide majority of clergy and lay people — 240 voted for succession, 102 against — favored aligning the diocese with the Argentina-based Anglican Province of the Southern Cone.
“We deeply value our shared heritage and years of friendship with those still within that denomination,” said the Rev. Peter Frank, a spokesman for the diocese. “But this diocese could not in good conscience continue down the road away from mainstream Christianity.”
Last December, the Diocese of San Joaquin, based in Fresno, Calif., became the first diocese to secede and join the more conservative Southern Cone. Two more dioceses — Quincy, Ill., and Fort Worth, Texas– are scheduled to hold similar secession votes next month.
Conservatives form a majority in the 77 million-member Anglican Communion, but a minority in its U.S. branch, the Episcopal Church, which has 2.2 million members and 110 dioceses.
Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori said there is room in the church for dissent, and schism has “frequently been seen as a more egregious error than charges of heresy.”
“I believe that the vast majority of Episcopalians and Anglicans will be intensely grieved by the actions of individuals who thought it necessary to remove them(selves) from the Episcopal Church,” Jefferts Schori said.
Conservatives have long lamented what they see as the denomination’s drift away from traditional Christianity, especially on matters of sexuality and biblical interpretation. Episcopal leaders say those charges are overblown.
At least 17 of the 74 congregations in the Pittsburgh diocese want to remain part of the Episcopal Church, according to the denomination.
Jefferts Schori said the national church will help to rebuild the diocese in Pittsburgh, as it has in San Joaquin. A lengthy battle over church property and assets is expected.
Next month, Pittsburgh conservatives are expected to return Bishop Robert Duncan to office. He was defrocked by the Episcopal Church last month for advocating secession.
By Daniel Burke
Religion News Service
Copyright 2008 Religion News Service. All rights reserved. No part of this transmission may be distributed or reproduced without written permission.
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posted October 6, 2008 at 7:32 pm
Pittsburgh Diocese taking orders from the Southern Cone? Hope they speak Spanish. Now the fight over the church and it’s property will start, I guess.
Too bad the Pittsburgh folks can’t understand that their GLBT folks are part of the human race too, and thus made by the same “creator” . So since that is the case, why are they not allowing GLBT to be a part of their religious community and a part of the leadership as well? Oh right! “God” said it’s wrong…at least the way they read their holy book.
posted October 6, 2008 at 8:03 pm
And now they lawyer up to try to get the buildings, which will make them a lot more welcome in the Southern Cone!
posted October 6, 2008 at 9:01 pm
I applaud the stand for what is right I don’t blame the folk in Pittsburgh they want to right in the sight of their Creator and not preach the false gospel of this generation. I think they should get their buildings they paid for and maybe get a reimbursement on some of the salary they paid ole Schori.
posted October 6, 2008 at 9:50 pm
Nope. All the buildings belong to the National church. They will as poor as the day the were born – and totally justified, as they don’t want to be in the same church as their fellow human beings.
What losers.
posted October 7, 2008 at 12:01 pm
I am with cknuck. Something must be foul in the state of Denmark for that many folks to want to leave their home for many years. And based on a recent court ruling in VA, the diocese will actually have a legal leg to stand on to take the church buildings away from the national diocese. Hopefully they are successful!
posted October 7, 2008 at 12:34 pm
The people who are leaving for the Southern Cone group are going where they should go. They believe that the LGBT are not Gods children like they are. They should go with empty hands, none of the churches monies or properties, but they will not be as welcome with no dowery for the bitter Episcopalians of the southeran cone. But God is Good, and they can always come back when they wake up.
posted October 7, 2008 at 6:29 pm
I didn’t know they were actually going anywhere, and I think they should have the property they paid for regardless to how they feel about homosexuality, is the church like the mob? I’m sure they are not wishing anything bad on the rest of the church or homosexuals they are just standing up for and following their beliefs, its not a war its a decision.
In my old parish some of the buildings were ours and some the Presbytery has control but never the less people of the area built all of the buildings paid all of the expenses lived and died in the building it is wrong for the church to deny them of the building I’m sure they would if they had an ounce of honesty in them come to some agreeable terms for both parties.
posted October 7, 2008 at 7:25 pm
The Church is the point of the denomination, it belongs to the Pittsburgh Diocese, not to individual members of the Church. The Polish Church in St. Louis and it’s members are still fighting over the Polish Catholic Church they started many yrs. ago. The RC Church belongs to the Vatican like all RC Churches do, they knew this when they started it. The episcopalian people dissatisfied with the Pittsburgh Diocese knew that the Church is owned as a group and their it will stay.
posted October 7, 2008 at 7:51 pm
That’s for the courts not us to decide, maybe they will get judge Judy.
posted October 8, 2008 at 10:47 am
The VA ruling applies only to VA churches. So there is no way for the PA churches or any others to use this as a precedent (states’ rights).
In terms of joining the Southern Cone (a bizarre name – I prefer our Cone of Uncertainty in Hurricane season), I wonder who will be the boss of whom. Which bishop is going to bend (as in ring kissing, obsequious acquiesence) to some other bishop. How much will the western/northern churches try to dominate – and dictate to – the southern churches.
Africa has enough problems that I cannot imagine they need norhtenr interference – though they will surely appreciate any funds that may slide n their direction. Who knows, maybe the missionary zeal of these renegade orthodox congregations will take hold and great benefits will come form it all. I heard a speaker say last night, “God works in mischeivous ways”. What a work of mischief it would be for God to coerce these affluent suburban congregations to get deeply involved in the third world desperation of the African congregations.