The House of Bishops Raises Vote to a Supermajority in the Dissolution of an Episcopal Relationship
On the morning of July 11, 2012, the House of Bishops rejected the form of B021, which had been proposed to allow an easy, five month plan to dissolve the relationship between a bishop and a diocese. The House of Bishops appeared strong and unified as they spoke against the canon that gave Jefferts Schori an easy way to remove an accused bishop.
As it had been initially written, a new path of getting a simple majority of a Standing Committee or a Diocesan Convention along with a simple majority of the bishops with jurisdiction present at the next meeting of the House of Bishops would have removed any bishop.
On July 11, 2012, the original creator of the proposed canon, Bishop Mark Hollingsworth stated that a self-organized group of bishops met into the night working on this canon following the conflicted debate on July 10, 2012. Offering new changes, he proposed that the Standing Committee be required to have a two-thirds vote to present a bishop to the Presiding Bishop, not the simple majority of the first proposed canon. The next change would be that all bishops should vote about the accused bishop, and not just the bishops with jurisdiction. To vote on this dissolution, the bishop must be present at the next regular or special meeting. Hollingsworth stated that if a majority of bishops do not vote for the dissolution, that another recommended resolution would be presented at the same meeting.
Supporting Hollingsworth, Bishop Mary Glasspool of Los Angeles spoke in favor of the canon and said that the canon was "not a weapon or a tool or a threat." Bishop Pierre Whalen also spoke in favor of the newly amended canon.
Bishops politely listened and then a powerful spate of bishops sprang out to amend and largely speak against this newly proposed canon. Read more
Related:
General Convention Sends Canons Allowing the Easy Removal of Bishops to Sub-Committee
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