Presiding Bishop Responds to the Southern Cone Invasion

Episcopal Life brings us the text of a letter from the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church to the Presiding Bishop of the Southern Cone:

Dear Gregory,

I write to urge you not to bring further discord into The Episcopal Church. Visiting a special convocation of the Diocese of Fort Worth with the expressed purpose of describing removal to the Province of the Southern Cone is an unprecedented and unwarranted invasion of, and meddling in, the internal affairs of this Province. I ask you to consider how you might receive such a visit to your own Province from a fellow primate. The actions contemplated by some leaders in Fort Worth are profoundly uncanonical. They also prevent needed reconciliation from proceeding within this Province.

I urge you to focus your pastoral ministry within your own Province. May your ministry there be fruitful. I remain

Your servant in Christ,
Katharine Jefferts Schori

Short and to the point, but says everthing that needed to be said. I'll not elaborate.

J.

UPDATE: From the comments:

Okay, all you great people at Jake's place:

Please think up some really good questions to ask Venables at the Saturday convocation. The obvious one is "Why in the world would you WANT the Diocese of Fort Worth?", but I doubt he'll say that it's about the $$$.

This is a serious request and I'm not trying to be funny. Those of you in SJ might really give us some good ideas, and of course I'm not leaving out all the friends of SJ in other places.

Give it some thought. This opportunity will likely not come again.
Kelly in Fort Worth

An excellent suggestion, Kelly.

I would ask him how he intends to expand into North America, when his own Constitution and Canons do not allow for such an expansion.

And secondly, I would want to know if he is concerned about traveling in North America, since if he sets foot on some church property (such as a particular congregation in New Jersey), he would be immediately arrested?

(Note to Kelly: The first one is a valid question,I think....the second is probably too snarky for such a gathering...the bouncers might toss you out!)

For those who would like to ask the Presiding Bishop of the Southern Cone a few questions directly, he can be reached at:

bpgreg@ciudad.com.ar

SECOND UPDATE: Elsewhere, Bp. Iker has responded to this letter:

Archbishop Venables is coming to the Diocese at my invitation and as an honored guest, which hardly makes it “an unwarranted invasion.” The only meddling going on here is on Katharine’s part. And who is she to accuse someone else of uncanonical actions?

The arrogance of this man never ceases to amaze me.