Philocrites

Episcopal coup watch.

by Philocrites

Schism? What schism? The American Anglican Council — Mrs Philocrites dubs it the American Anglican Conspiracy — is aiming to replace the Episcopal Church altogether:

Episcopalians who oppose the consecration of a gay bishop are preparing to engage in widespread disobedience to church law in 2004, according to a confidential document outlining their strategy.

The document makes clear that despite their public denials of any plan to break away from the 2.3 million-member Episcopal Church USA, leaders of the traditionalist camp intend to severely challenge the authority of Episcopal bishops, and expect that both civil lawsuits and ecclesiastical charges against dissenting priests will result. . . .

The document says the American Anglican Council's Strategy Committee has worked for months to win permission for traditionalist bishops to oversee congregations that are unhappy under their current, more liberal bishops. But, it says, this "adequate episcopal oversight" is just an intermediate step.

"Our ultimate goal," it says, is a "replacement jurisdiction . . . closely aligned with the majority of world Anglicanism." Chapman, in a phone interview, said that means traditionalists hope their network of parishes will supplant the Episcopal Church USA as the recognized Anglican offshoot in the United States.

("Plan to supplant Episcopal Church USA is revealed," Alan Cooperman, Washington Post 1.14.04)

Copyright © 2004 by Philocrites | Posted 14 January 2004 at 10:30 PM

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