Source:  The Living Church

March 4, 2010

By Douglas LeBlanc

The Diocese of Los Angeles has announced that the Rev. Canon Mary Glasspool (left), bishop-elect, is within one vote of receiving consents from a majority of standing committees. The diocese elected Canon Glasspool on Dec. 5 as one of two suffragan bishops.

The canon must also receive consents from a majority of bishops. The office of the Presiding Bishop tracks bishops’ consents. By tradition, the office does not reveal bishops’ votes until sufficient consents arrive or the deadline for receiving consents has passed. May 5 is the deadline for consents to Glasspool’s election.

Some bishops and standing committees have issued public statements about their decisions.

The Rt. Rev. Herman “Holly” Hollerith IV, Bishop of Southern Virginia, wrote of his decision to deny consent.

“I believe she would make a wonderful bishop and that she is an excellent match for the Diocese of Los Angeles. Her election there was logical and appropriate,” he wrote to the clergy of his diocese on Feb. 4.

“Nevertheless, it is clear to me that the ordination of an openly Gay woman to the episcopate will — at this time — have a serious negative impact on our relationship with the wider Anglican Communion, and that it may very well strain — to the breaking point — those bonds of affection which we have come to value with others, even with those who may agree with us.”

The Rt. Rev. Nathan D. Baxter, Bishop of Central Pennsylvania, wrote a detailed 1,400-word letter explaining his decision to grant consent.

“After prayerful discernment and various contexts of consultation, I have determined that the House of Bishops would be enriched and be represented more holistically as a symbol of unity to the Church … if Mary Glasspool were a member of that House,” Baxter wrote. . .

Read the entire article here. 

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