What Most Angered Me About General Convention ‘06

Matt Kennedy has posted a methodical summary of how the Episcopal Church’s General Convention ’06 utterly failed to comply with Windsor/Dromantine. In it, he reminds us of what I consider the greatest outrage of that convention. And, no, it has little to do with Kate Schori or her election.

Christopher Cantrell offered a resolution to the House of Deputies that complied with the Windsor Report. It was the only resolution on consecration of gay bishops and on same-sex blessings to come before the House that complied with Windsor.

The Convention’s response? The Parliamentarian ruled it out of order. Yes, typical of the sort of Episcopalian politics that makes me want to vomit.

But at least this time, thanks to Kendall Harmon, the floor had a chance to overrule the Parliamentarian and have the up-and-down vote this important resolution merited. And only a simple majority was needed to do so.

The House voted and let the ruling stand.

This was and is an incredible snub to the Anglican Communion. General Convention ’06 in effect said that the question of genuine compliance with Windsor wasn’t even worthy of an up-and-down vote.

That, my friends, is an outrage the Primates would do well to remember next week in Tanzania.