Comments on the Work of General Convention
While public debate on the floor of the Houses
of Deputies and Bishops receives much attention
from the media and the wider church, the real work
of General Convention takes place in its many
committees. Each deputy from the Diocese of El
Camino Real is assigned to at least one committee,
either as a working member or as an observer.
Deputies then report their observations to the
rest of the ECR deputation. The Rev. Ernest
Cockrell is a member of the Committee on
National and International Affairs, and co-chair
of the Committee on Domestic Concerns and Human
Rights.
The Rev. Vincent Raj has been
attending meetings of the Special Committee on the
Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion. Their
interim reports follow.
As always, I have been impressed by the order
with effervescence on the floor the House of
Deputies; hearing every idea in our parishes
expressed and received with respect; seeing tables
of hearing impaired people singing the hymns
together; and experiencing the singing and
liturgies with thousands and thousands of people.
Seeing old friends from former Conventions is a
joy, and meeting people with whom we have
discussed issues for three years over the House of
Bishops/Deputies email list serve is always a
delight – and they never look the way you thought
they would.
Our Committee on National and International
Affairs has heard electrifying testimony from a
bishop from Northern Uganda, speaking of the
genocide of children; a lay person from Cuba
describing the pain and suffering of church people
involving food and medicine due to the U.S.
blockade; the bishop of Jerusalem and several
clergy and workers in Palestine speaking of the
pain and suffering caused by the occupation, as
well as the injury to Israelis, both physically
and psychologically. Dealing with all these issues
is invigorating, inspiring and compelling.
What has impressed me the most about this
Convention both in committee work and on the floor
of the House has been the focus: it has
consistently been on the needs, the hopes and the
suffering of people in our nation and world. So
the Windsor process has been more of an
undercurrent than a dark cloud. That focus on
mission gives me hope that we can deal with
internal discord regarding the Anglican Communion.
This perspective comes from sitting amidst bishops
and deputies from all sides of the Anglican issues
and seeing them working graciously together. There
may be some rough weather ahead, but I sense an
atmosphere that can handle any weather heading our
way.
I’ve been asked to reflect on the discussions
and debates that are occurring here regarding
General Convention’s response to the Windsor
Report.
Before I do that, and as a “first-timer” at
General Convention, let me say how impressed I am
with the atmosphere of Convention. One cannot but
be moved by the dignity and decorum of Convention.
The courtesies offered and received are genteel;
General Convention has admirable ways of
conducting itself. We can all be rightfully proud
of the way it conducts business.
So it naturally follows that even the intense
debates that are being conducted in the committee
rooms of this Convention Center are taking place
with the utmost respect and dignity. All this is
immensely heartwarming.
Nevertheless, after following the hearings of the
Special Committee on The Episcopal Church and the
Anglican Communion over the last two days, I am
despondent and saddened at what I see as a
hopeless situation. As heartwarming as the
atmosphere of cordiality and mutual respect is at
the Convention Center, the harsh reality is that
we are heading towards a heartbreaking outcome.
If I am wrong on this I will be delighted. Can a
miracle happen? Yes, and I will be the first to
give thanks on my knees. But I am preparing for a
heartbreak.
Over 70 bishops, deputies and alternates witnessed
and spoke Wednesday night at a packed hearing that
brought over 1,500 of us together. Proponents and
opponents of the Windsor Report spoke eloquently
with truth and candor. No one denigrated or was
uncharitable. The atmosphere was charged when
Bishops Bob Duncan of Pittsburg and Gene Robinson
of New Hampshire spoke. But the decorum held, and
charity prevailed.
However, in my opinion the issue of homosexual
relations and the blessing of such relations has
progressed too far, and too many actions have
occurred, for there to be any possibility of
meaningful rapprochement or reconciliation at this
juncture. In retrospect, General Convention 2003’s
consent to Gene Robinson’s consecration may have
been a “point of no return” for the Episcopal
Church. There may be too many vested interests at
this Convention.
The Windsor Report, on the other hand, clearly
calls the Episcopal Church to repent of its
actions, and desist of repeating them. I do not
see General Convention accepting such a proposal.
The Archbishop of York, the Most Rev. John Sentamu,
a guest of General Convention, surprised us all
when he stepped forward to speak at Wednesday
night’s hearing. “Windsor wants space to be
created within the Communion so that healing can
occur. Do your resolutions create that space? If
they don’t, then they fail.”
Can the Special Committee, even at this eleventh
hour and fifty-ninth minute forge a response that
creates the space to heal? Will General Convention
then accept the resolutions? I think we are headed
for a heartbreak. May God be with us and in us as
we journey into a future of our own making.
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