The House of Bishops and the House of Deputies of the Episcopal Church today completed passage of a revised Resolution D025, Commitment and Witness to the Anglican Communion, at the Church”s triennial General Convention in Anaheim, California.
The resolution
· Reaffirms an abiding commitment of The Episcopal Church to the fellowship of churches that constitute the Anglican Communion, noting that it will seek to live into the highest degree of communion possible;
· Encourages dioceses, congregations and members of The Episcopal Church to participate to the fullest extent possible in the many instruments, networks and relationships of the Anglican Communion;
· Reaffirms its financial commitments to the Anglican Communion and member Churches.
In addition, D025 affirms transparency and openness in The Episcopal Church”s ordination process. The resolution
· Affirms the value of “listening to the experience of homosexual persons” as called for by multiple Lambeth Conferences.
· Restates that the baptized membership of The Episcopal Church includes same-sex couples living in lifelong committed relationships “characterized by fidelity, monogamy, mutual affection and respect, careful, honest communication, and the holy love which enables those in such relationships to see in each other the image of God” (B039, 2000).
· Acknowledges that gay and lesbian persons who are part of such relationships have responded to God’s call and have exercised various ministries in and on behalf of God’s One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church and are currently doing so in our midst;
· Affirms that God’s call to the ordained ministry in The Episcopal Church is a mystery which the Church attempts to discern for all people in accordance with the Constitution and Canons of the Church;
· Acknowledges that members of The Episcopal Church are not of one mind, and Christians of good conscience disagree about some of these matters.
The Legislative Committee on World Mission was faced with legislation that ranged from asking for the repeal of 2006 Resolution B033 to restating the Church”s nondiscrimination canons, but instead discharged these resolutions in favor of the invitation to transparency in matters of ordination and ongoing commitment to the Anglican Communion.
On July 13, 2009, Resolution D025 was amended and passed by the House of Bishops 99-45, with two abstentions. It then was sent to the House of Deputies which concurred with the amended resolution on July 14, 2009.
The Episcopal Church, founded in 1785, is run by a bi-cameral legislature comprised of the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies, which represent the Church”s 110 dioceses in 16 countries. It is a constituent member of the worldwide Anglican Communion.
Full text of Resolution D025 can be found at http://gc2009.org/ViewLegislation/