Evil Always Has Its Excuses.

Exhibit #4598 of that truth may be found here, in the excuses of PB Schori’s lawyer David Booth Beers for continuing to try to sue orthodox congregations out of their meeting houses in spite of the Primates’ request to suspend lawsuits.

The Episcopal Church will not suspend or withdraw from property lawsuits it initiated unless there is a comprehensive agreement that takes into consideration “all the other recommendations of the primates’ communiqué,” said David Booth Beers, chancellor for the Presiding Bishop.

I’ve decided to use this approach for Lent. I’ve decided not to give up sinful anger until everything in the world that makes me angry is dealt with.

The rest of his excuses are equally lame. Feel free to read them if your reaction of anger/sarcasm/mocking/Toronto-style holy laughter would not violate your Lenten discipline.

Schori’s Lawyers Insult Primates, Continue Lawsuits.

Presiding Bishop Schori’s lawyers issued an incredible statement yesterday, refusing to put their lawsuits against orthodox congregations on hold.

David Booth Beers said “there is no basis at this time” to suspend litigation.

No basis?!? The Primates of the Anglican Communion have asked the Episcopal Church to call off the dogs. And David Booth Beers says there is no basis to do so?? That’s downright insulting.

Then Beers drones about the AC having “no legal authority over the affairs of its members.”

That completely misses the point. The Primates Meeting asked the Episcopal Church to back off on the litigation. To ignore that request as Schori and Beers are doing is uncollegial, to put it in a very Anglican way.

Remember, these are Schori’s lawyers. So this statement speaks volumes about her response to the Primates. And since she signed the communiqué asking for a cease fire on lawsuits, it speaks volumes about her and TEC’s complete lack of trustworthiness.

I hope this so enrages the Primates that it makes it less likely that TEC will get away with a weasel words will win strategy. But I still consider that thin hope.

++Venables on the Primates Meeting and TEC Fudge (and St. Matthias Day)

Primate of the Southern Cone Gregory Venables has issued some straight talk about the Primates Meeting and TEC PB Schori’s attempt already to fudge it:

We must now see if the Episcopal Church is going to be willing to fulfill the spirit and the specifics of our agreement. From the first indications, I am most ´concerned. We gave much time to producing a Communiqué which was unambiguous and straightforward. Tragically, in the Presiding Bishop’s remarks to the Church Center community just two days after the close of the meeting she misguidingly argues that there was agreement and understanding among the Primates that blessings of same-sex couples could continue as “pastoral care” as long as there was no official published liturgy for it. That assertion quite scandalously demonstrates the very concern that the Communiqué addresses in identifying this situation.

By the way, I visited my beloved Smokey Matt’s this morning to attend Matins and Low Mass on the Feast of St. Matthias, their patron saint. You might remember they left the Episcopal Church last year. This morning I discovered they are now under the pastoral care of ++Venables – a very good choice for both of them. And it’s a good example of orthodox evangelicals (such as ++Venables) and orthodox Anglo-Catholics (such as Smokey Matt’s, of course) working together as is meet and right.

St. Matthias is linked with Judas since Matthias replaced Judas among the Twelve Apostles. So the readings this morning dealt much with those who fall away and those who are faithful. Very timely, methinks.

A Special TEC Convention?

First, I want to wish all my kind readers a Holy Lent. I’m a bit busy through Monday, but I plan to post some unconventional Lenten thoughts in due time.

There have been interesting calls for a Special General Convention of the Episcopal Church to respond to the Tanzania requests of the Primates. These calls are coming from the different ends of TEC, from Kendall Harmon to Marc Andrus.

Some, including Brad Drell, are groaning, “No! Not another General Convention.” But I like the idea of a Special General Convention. For one thing it will shut up those who already are crying polity and saying only a General Convention can respond to the Tanzania requests.

And a Special Convention is more likely to clearly reject the Tanzania requests. And, for those (like me) who wish to see this charade ended, that’s a good thing.

Post-Tanzania Outlook: Weasel Words Will Win

I’ve slept on the Primates Communique and Schedule and, boy, is my neck sore. And I still think it will prove insufficient.

Now I am encouraged by the September 30th deadline for the Episcopal Church to respond adequately. Such a quick deadline shows a determination to resolve this (at least somewhat) in time for Lambeth ’08. And the deadline, combined with ++Rowan’s statements at the press conference, indicate that TEC’s response will affect invitations to Lambeth.

And a good number of people whose opinions I respect like the communiqué. I was particularly encouraged to hear ++Orombi’s no nonsense take on where we are.

And the communiqué asked TEC to stop the lawsuits. I had written that this persecution of faithful congregations would get the Primates' attention. I’m glad to see them directly address it.

But I see two serious weaknesses, one within the communiqué and one without.

Within, I insist that the Pastoral Council is a recipe to stack the process of TEC’s response. I’ve yet seen little concern about this out there in the Anglican blogdom. But I’m stomping my foot and saying I’m not the one missing something concerning this. The Pastoral Council and its composition is vital. It is given a great deal of authority and responsibility for both Windsor compliance and pastoral provision. From the communiqué:

A Pastoral Council

• The primates will establish a Pastoral Council to act on behalf of the primates in consultation with The Episcopal Church. This Council shall consist of up to five members: two nominated by the primates, two by the Presiding Bishop, and a Primate of a Province of the Anglican Communion nominated by the Archbishop of Canterbury to chair the Council.

• The Council will work in co-operation with The Episcopal Church, the Presiding Bishop and the leadership of the bishops participating in the scheme proposed below to

_ negotiate the necessary structures for pastoral care which would meet the requests of the Windsor Report (TWR, §147–155) and the primates’ requests in the Lambeth Statement of October 2003 [1];

_ authorise protocols for the functioning of such a scheme, including the criteria for participation of bishops, dioceses and congregations in the scheme;

_ assure the effectiveness of the structures for pastoral care;

_ liaise with those other primates of the Anglican Communion who currently have care of parishes to seek a secure way forward for those parishes within the scheme;

_ facilitate and encourage healing and reconciliation within The Episcopal Church, between The Episcopal Church and congregations alienated from it, and between The Episcopal Church and the rest of the Anglican Communion (TWR, §156);

_ advise the Presiding Bishop and the Instruments of Communion;

_ monitor the response of The Episcopal Church to the Windsor Report;

_ consider whether any of the courses of action contemplated by the Windsor Report §157 should be applied to the life of The Episcopal Church or its bishops, and, if appropriate, to recommend such action to The Episcopal Church and its institutions and to the Instruments of Communion;

_ take whatever reasonable action is needed to give effect to this scheme and report to the primates.

And with two of the five Pastoral Council members being chosen by the Presiding Bishop (and NONE by the Network), it’s hamstrung from the beginning. All it takes is one weak appointment from the Primates or the Archbishop of Canterbury, and it will practically be a rubber stamp for TEC. If the Primates and ++Rowan make three strong appointments, it has a chance to work. But three out of three is not a good bet.

The weakness without is whether there will be the will to exclude some or most of TEC from Lambeth and other aspects of the Communion when they fall short of what is being asked of them. I just don’t see the will being there. Look at the difficulty the Primates had in Tanzania already.

I didn’t have a prediction for the Primates Meeting, but I do have a prediction for its aftermath. The TEC House of Bishops will respond with weasel words that try to look like compliance, but aren’t. A majority of the Pastoral Council will pat them on the head and say that’s a “very serious” response and report that TEC is in compliance with Windsor/Tanzania. ++Rowan and a majority of the Primates go along with the charade. And everybody except Gene Robinson gets invited to Lambeth.

Is there a possibility that a majority of the House of Bishops refuses to go even that far to comply with the requests of Windsor/Tanzania? Yes. The Episcopal Left would rather TEC just say no and ditch the communion, and they will pressure the bishops to do so. From a very different perspective, I, too, would greatly prefer an honest statement of non-compliance from the HOB.

But I expect weasel words will win.

BREAKING: The Primates Meeting Communique AND Schedule

Yes, it’s finally out.

I’ll comment later.

Later: The money paragraph:

35. Our discussions have drawn us into a much more detailed response than we would have thought necessary at the beginning of our meeting. But such is the imperative laid on us to seek reconciliation in the Church of Christ, that we have been emboldened to offer a number of recommendations. We have set these out in a Schedule to this statement. We offer them to the wider Communion, and in particular to the House of Bishops of The Episcopal Church in the hope that they will enable us to find a way forward together for the period leading up to the conclusion of the Covenant Process. We also hope that the provisions of this pastoral scheme will mean that no further interventions will be necessary since bishops within The Episcopal Church will themselves provide the extended episcopal ministry required.

But guess what? As of this moment, there is no schedule to be seen.

UPDATE: O. K. The Schedule’s out now. You may find it and comments galore at the link above.

INITIAL REACTION:

I think the Communique and Schedule are quite weak. I’m especially concerned that The Pastoral Council can easily be stacked against the orthodox, with PB Schori appointing two, the ABC one, and the Network ZERO.

Speaking of which, if the Communique and Schedule mention the Network, I sure missed it on my first reading. That’s a bit of a slap in the face.

But the revisionists are already unhappy. And some interpret this as taking a hard line against TEC. Ruth Gledhill is one.

And ++Rowan appears to have put the onus on the Episcopal Church: “"If in good consciences the assurances cannot be given [by TEC], it has to affect their relationship with the organs of Communion."

So I’m not sure what to think . . . except that we live in interesting times.

Draft Covenant Released

So the draft Covenant is out.

Upon a first reading, I’m not very excited about it one way or the other. In this post-modern age, you can twist ignore interpret anything anyway you want to. You can make words mean whatever pleases you. It would take an incredibly good covenant and the willingness to enforce it to overcome that.

And I’m not seeing either in the Anglican Communion, at least at this hour.