Dissident Groups Organize to Oppose Diocesan Departures

http://www.livingchurch.org/news/news-updates/2008/1/17/dissident-groups-organize-to-oppose-diocesan-departures

[The Living Church] 18 Jan 2008--In conjunction with disciplinary actions initiated by Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, groups in the dioceses of San Joaquin, Pittsburgh, and Fort Worth are proceeding with strategies to oppose plans by the dioceses to dissociate from the Episcopal Church.

On Jan. 11 Bishop Jefferts Schori inhibited Bishop John-David Schofield of San Joaquin, whose diocese left the Episcopal Church in December, charging him with abandonment of communion after securing the unanimous consent of three senior bishops with jurisdiction. She recently appointed the Rev. Canon Bob Moore as an ‘interim pastoral presence’ in the diocese.

A website maintained by the group Remain Episcopal in the Diocese of San Joaquin reports that Canon Moore will embark on a five-day listening tour of the diocese from Jan. 21-25. The tour is scheduled to conclude with a day-long rally at Church of the Saviour, Hanford, Calif., on Jan. 26. The Remain Episcopal announcement states that “the title of this event, ‘Moving Forward, Welcoming All,’ expresses the desire of Remain Episcopal membership that their diocese be rebuilt with an inclusive and Christ-centered message of love and salvation, rather than a judgmental attitude that demands schism.”