http://babybluecafe.blogspot.com/2007/07/bishop-lee-writes-friday-13th-letter-to.html
[BabyBlueOnline] 17 July 2007--On Friday The 13th, Bishop Peter James Lee sent the following letter out to twenty one clergy whose congregations, following the Diocese of Virginia Protocol, voted to separate from the Episcopal Church, and whom he inhibited following his sudden cancellation of his own Property Committee as well as the stand-still agreement - all designed to negotiate amicably.
Notice that Bishop Lee introduces a new phrase, a new organization, in his Friday the 13th Letter. It's called The Communion of The Episcopal Church (as opposed to the Anglican Communion). Since the inception of the Episcopal Church, when churches won recognition from the Archbishop of Canterbury himself and then went to form dioceses, the word "communion" has meant the Anglican Communion.
Church of the Apostles, Fairfax, was able to call a New Zealand priest to be their rector because he was an Anglican priest. Bishop Lee is "in communion" with the Anglican bishops in New Zealand and so the clerical orders are recognized. That is what "communion" means. It means that all these clergy and bishops have orders that are valid to celebrate the Eucharist.
As we were reminded this week by the Pope, Anglican clergy and bishops are not recognized by any Roman Catholic church or bishop - for our clergy and bishops are not in communion with the Roman Catholic church or bishops. The Roman Catholic bishops do not recognized the orders of the Anglican/Episcopal clergy or bishops as "valid." From their point of view, if Anglican clergy celebrate the Eucharist, the elements are invalid. That's serious stuff.
But this is not the case for the Anglican Communion. Any Anglican/Episcopal clergy can celebrate the Eucharist, for the Anglican Communion recognizes the validity of the orders....
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