The Traditional Anglican Communion College of Bishops Meeting

Greetings all around:

I just returned from South Africa. Actually, I physically returned on Monday afternoon, but the rest of my body is just now catching up. I sent you the press release regarding the College of Bishops (COB) meeting of the Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC) included elsewhere in this newsletter. However, I do want to share a few thoughts regarding the meeting because we all know that bloggers will have a field day posting their opinions regarding something they know little or nothing about. Additionally, the former Secretary of the

College of Bishops has already conducted an interview regarding the meeting. So I feel that it is necessary to

update you regarding what actually happened. Initially, I want to say that every Bishop, including retired Bishops, was invited to attend this meeting. As per Section 6.1 of the TAC Concordat, the invitation clearly stated that active Bishops would have voice and vote and that retired Bishops would have voice only.

Section 6.1 of the Concordat clearly states that “Bishops actively holding Episcopal Office are eligible for voice and vote within the College of Bishops of the Traditional Anglican Communion.” If retired Bishops were to be considered “active” then there would be no need for the reference “active Bishops” in Section 6.1, as everyone would be considered “active Bishops." But the Concordat does make that distinction. Therefore, retired Bishops are clearly not “active Bishops.” This was verified by the Chancellor of South Africa and all of the Chancellors in the Anglican Church in America (ACA). It is also consistent with precedence in that retired Bishops were not afforded vote in previous meetings of the COB, but were given only voice.While we were indeed disappointed that the other active members of the COB chose not to attend, the Bishops who attended the meeting still constituted the majority of Bishops with voice as well as vote. As I mentioned, every Bishop was invited to attend. Of those who chose not to attend, some sent their

apologies and some chose not to respond, and a few sent their “proxies.”

One Bishop who plans to enter the Ordinariate in Australia did attend and fully participated. Another Ordinariate bound Bishop from Puerto Rico initially considered attending. Indeed, he inquired about the flight arrangements of the ACA Bishops indicating a desire to meet up with them in the USA and join them on their flight to South Africa. There were no further contacts with him and he did not attend the meeting. The important thing is that he initially indicated that he might attend and inquired about flight arrangements but then later chose of his own accord not to attend. I cannot and will not speculate on the reasons he reconsidered. So the point is that everyone was invited and no one was shut out. If they were not there, it was of their own choice. Secondly, the determination as to who had voice and vote and who had voice only was determined strictly in accord with Section 6.1 of the Concordat.Whether or not they were going to the Ordinariate at some point in the future had nothing to do with it as evidenced by the one Bishop who has declared for the Ordinariate attending and participating fully with both voice and vote. Not only was the Concordat adhered to regarding Section 6.1, but the entire meeting was conducted in the most professional way by the new Acting Primate, Archbishop Samuel Prakash, adhering to the minutest details of the provisions of the Concordat. It was transparent, and open to scrutiny.

The agenda was open to all, with invitations for items for discussion to have been received at least 14 days prior to commencement of the meeting. Care was taken to have interpreters and stenographers present, and in addition voice recordings were kept of the proceedings. Once we came together, the meeting was unanimously constituted as a College of Bishops Meeting. The majority of Bishops within the TAC holding voice and vote attended, and proxy votes were obtained from some who were not able to attend. It is also documented that the meeting was concluded in a spirit of prayer and discernment. Votes on all resolutions were overwhelmingly unanimous. Therefore, the resolutions passed at the meeting are, as a result, legal and binding.

I can also say that there was no trace of hostility towards members of the TAC seeking to be accepted into the Ordinariate, the former Primate, or anyone else. In fact, we wish them every blessing. However, the TAC could not be allowed to be left in a vacuum come Eastertide when Archbishop Hepworth purportedly would step down. Therefore, his resignation as Primate, which he chose to submit, was unanimously accepted effective immediately. This is accepted business practice when the Board of Directors of any company determine it is best for all parties to move on immediately. He was not “deposed” as several “bloggers” have reported. He offered his resignation and the COB felt it was best for all to accept that resignation effective immediately. As a result of the resignation, the offices and positions held

by appointment were vacated. New appointments will be announced by the Acting Primate in the very near future. I am aware of those appointments; however, I feel that I must leave the announcement of those

appointments to Abp. Prakash. In accordance with Section 6.2 of the Concordat (The College of Bishops

shall appoint a Secretary, who shall be responsible to the Primate), the COB appointed Bp. Michael Gill as

the new Secretary of the College. From that point forward, the meeting was focused on the future of the

TAC.

Of course, as part of the consideration on moving into the future, the COB had to deal with the Patrimony of

the Primate here in the USA as well as similar structures instituted by the former Primate. The COB

rightly concluded that the Concordat did not authorize the former Primate to unilaterally create any Patrimony or other entity within any member Church without the approval of the respective member Church. Therefore, no “Patrimony of the Primate” exists within the TAC. If you are in the TAC, you must be within the National Church and Diocese thereof. In the case of the ACA, permission was granted to create a “Patrimony” that was intended to be a “holding tank” for those intending to become a part of the Ordinariate. Minutes of the ACA House of Bishops at which this agreement was made clearly indicated that the agreement expired upon the creation of the Ordinariate in the USA. Therefore, no Patrimony currently exists within the ACA beyond that date (January 1, 2012). There was no “bashing” of anyone. As I said, the meeting was held in a spirit of prayer seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Many who attended stated that this was the best and most productive TAC COB meeting they had ever attended. While I cannot speak to that as this was my first, I can say that it was one of the best meetings I have attended and I can say that we are confident that the TAC will continue to rebuild and thrive into the future.

As we move into that future, may God bless those who have chosen to take a new journey with the Roman

Catholic Church in the Ordinariates around the world. May God bless all of us in the TAC, and may God grant us the ability to move on, with less derogatory comments and opinions from the “bloggers” and more proclamation of the Gospel of Christ to a broken world. That is the desire of the COB as evidenced by the

resolution to commit itself to Mission and Evangelism. It is certainly our duty to equip the saints for the work

of Evangelism. May God cause us to be resolute in that endeavor. Indeed, the Diocese of the Missouri Valley has been resolute in doing all within our abilities to provide the resources to all Clergy and Parishes/Missions to assist in Mission and Evangelism. Once again, we have committed the upcoming Clericus to just that. I hope all of you have received your books The Unchurched Next Door. Be sure to read those and bring them and questions to the Clericus and be prepared to participate. Parishes and Missions should strongly encourage their Clergy to attend as it will benefit you in the long run. Additionally, Fr. Sackett will be sending you additional information to consider in advance of the Clericus, so be sure to look for that. In the meantime, may you continue to have a blessed and holy Lent.

Bishop Stephen Strawn