Gloria Dei Church Affirms Appeal for APO

http://www.standfirminfaith.com/index.php/site/article/4466/

[Stand Firm] 19 July 2007--On June 29, 2006 the Bishop, Diocesan Board and Standing Committee, of the Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida, after holding a joint meeting, appealed for Alternative Primatial Oversight (APO).

The question is: Where are we with the appeal for Alternate Primatial Oversight?

When the Diocese of Central Florida first appealed for APO in June 2006, it was hoped that a special pastoral relationship could be established with an Orthodox primate, in the interest of preserving unity and fostering mission in the face of an impaired relationship with the newly elected Presiding Bishop. The original appeal was made in good faith and was directed to the Archbishop of Canterbury, the primates of the Communion and the Panel of Reference.

Other dioceses made similar appeals during the course of the summer. The Archbishop arranged a summit in New York in September 2006 with interested parties, to discuss the matter, in an attempt to come up with “an American sounding solution to an American problem.” This meeting failed to reach an agreement, with the Presiding Bishop-elect claiming that she had no Primatial oversight of The Episcopal Church (TEC) dioceses an could not therefore give to another what she does not have. Subsequently, representatives from the Orthodox dioceses met in November with the Steering Committee of the Global South primates to present their request for APO. This meeting ended with the assurance that they would respond with a plan to address the expressed needs of the Orthodox dioceses.