EPISCOPAL CHURCH DENIES CONSENT TO BISHOP-ELECT OF FLORIDA

The Episcopal Church has denied consent to the Diocese of Florida's choice of the Rev. Charlie Holt as its next bishop. A majority of both the bishops and the diocesan standing committees voted against consent. To be accepted as a bishop in the Episcopal Church, he would have had to receive a majority of both the bishops and the standing committees. Holt carried neither. Denial of consent means Holt cannot now become bishop of Florida. 

Rejection of a diocesan choice for bishop is a rare but not unknown occurrence in the history of the Episcopal Church. It happens only when a consensus of church people believe there is compelling reason to deny the episcopacy to a duly elected diocesan choice. This is not something to be taken lightly. In this case there seemed to be serious questions about Holt's commitment to the policies of equality and inclusion in the life of the church, particularly for homosexuals.

I have two observations on this. In the first place, the vote shows a firm commitment of the Episcopal Church to defend, indeed enhance, the policies of equality and inclusion that long evolved in the church. Human rights for all was not a passing fancy. 

In the second place, I can only wonder if this vote is not a delayed reaction to the consents given to Mark Lawrence, who was also elected twice by a diocesan convention, in 2007. Enough wavering bishops and committees gave Lawrence the benefit of the doubt about his loyalty to the Church to put him over the 50% mark. No doubt, many who voted "yes" lived to regret this. Four years into his episcopacy Bishop Lawrence led the majority of the clergy and laity of the diocese of South Carolina out of the Episcopal Church and eventually into the reactionary shadow Episcopal Church, the anti-human rights Anglican Church in North America. Perhaps Holt is paying the price for this. We can only know when the bishops and committees tell us why they voted the way they did. So far, the diocese of South Carolina has not revealed how its bishop and committee voted. And, so far, the Episcopal Church has not revealed the individual votes of the bishops and committees.

Find the ENS article about this HERE .

The present bishop of Florida, John Howard, lost no time in blasting "secular politics" for the failure to gain consents. Read his rather ungracious letter HERE .