AAC Roundup from Bishop David Anderson

http://www.anglican-mainstream.net/2008/06/06/aac-roundup-from-bishop-david-anderson/

[Anglican Mainstream] 6 June 2008--There are several events within the Episcopal Church (TEC) and the Anglican Communion that you should be aware of, beginning with the last meeting of TEC’s House of Bishops (HOB). In the exodus of leaders from TEC, retired Bishop William Cox transferred to the Province of the Southern Cone of South America under Archbishop Gregory Venables. Cox was charged by TEC with performing Episcopal services in another Episcopal bishop’s diocese, and the charge was to be dealt with at the March HOB meeting.

In the same time frame, the Diocese of San Joaquin, led by Bishop John-David Schofield, voted to leave TEC as a diocese and join the Southern Cone as well. Bishop Schofield was charged with “abandonment of communion” by TEC and was to be dealt with at the same meeting. The Living Church, an independent Episcopal publication, reported that in a press conference, “Bishop Schori stated she had not followed rules governing the requirement t hat the 88-year old bishop (Cox) be granted a speedy trial, that he be informed of the charges against him in a timely fashion, and that the consent of the church’s senior bishops be solicited by the Presiding Bishop to suspend him from office pending trial.”

Compounding this failure of due process, there was an insufficient number of bishops in attendance to take canonical deposition against the two bishops. According to TEC canon law, a quorum to conduct business is a majority of all bishops in TEC excluding those who have resigned their jurisdiction or position (Article I.2, TEC Constitution).