A Call To Disband the Communion Partners

                                     

There is a subversive group within the Episcopal Church in the United States designed to work from within to destroy the Episcopal Church.  For those of you who do not know it, it refers to itself as the Communion Partners.  In the interest of transparency, there are at least four former rectors from the diocese of San Joaquin that were mentored by Mr. John David Schofield. One of those authored the constitutional revisions that the Conelonialists used to split from the Episcopal Church of the United States.   The interesting thing (at least one) is that these folks will not step up to the plate and declare their allegiance to the Global South.  They would rather pretend (for the definition of pretend please ask Leonardo Ricardo, he can fill you in) they are "working within" the confines of the Episcopal Church for the betterment of the Episcopal Church.  But let's look at their actions as based on their own commitments.

What follows is a direct quote from the CP website (in black) and the editorial comments (in blue).
Purpose:
Communion Partners

• provide for those concerned a visible link to the Anglican Communion

The only real Anglicans in the United States belong to the Episcopal Church and we are already represented by the Presiding Bishop to the rest of the world.

Many within our dioceses and in congregations in other dioceses seek to be assured of their connection to the Anglican Communion. Traditionally, this has been understood in terms of bishop-to-bishop relationships. Communion Partners fleshes out this connection in a significant and symbolic way.

Again, the only real Anglicans in the United States are represented by the Presiding Bishop.  She, has and continues to reassure the entire Episcopal community within the United states that we are "connected".  I am unclear about this concept of "bishop to bishop" since each province is represented by the primate of that province.  Our basic relationship within the Anglican Communion is Primate to Primate.  The  Communion partners have violated this concept on a number of occasions including a surreptitious meeting with the Archbishop of Canterbury that was never sanctioned by our Presiding Bishop.

• provide fellowship, support and a forum for mutual concerns between bishops

The House of Bishops in the United States provides a perfect opportunity for this.  The idea that a combination of rectors and renegade bishops can do this better through some back door methodology is pure pride.

The Communion Partner bishops share many concerns about the Anglican Communion and its future and look to work together with Primates and Bishops from the wider Communion. In addition, we believe we all have need of mutual encouragement, prayer, and reassurance. The Communion Partners will be a forum for these kinds of relationships.

This is not their role.  The role of a bishop is to provide pastoral care to their diocese.  The role of the primates is to discuss Anglican Communion relationships.  What pride! What ambition! Why do the diocese for which these power hungry folks come from allow them the time to do that.  I bet these bishops are the same ones that tell their diocese that they do not have the time to meet with each church on a yearly basis.

• provide a partnership to work toward the Anglican Covenant and according to Windsor Principles

This is not their job/role either.  They should be directing the affairs of their diocese and allow the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies to take care of these events.  They are usurping the role of the people who are elected and attend convention.

The Communion Partner bishops will work together according to the principles outlined in the Windsor Report and seek a comprehensive Anglican Covenant at the Lambeth Conference and beyond.

Once again, did the Presiding Bishop abdicate her role and did the deputies to convention abdicate their role so that this group that "clearly represents the majority of the Episcopal Church" could fill in for them?

This ragtag spawn of John David Schofield should be disbanded immediately.  We do not need a bunch of cowards to weak to declare their allegiance to the Global South and too lustful of power and too much like their "friends" in Fort Worth and Pittsburgh and San Joaquin to really be a part of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America.  Communion Partners please do not go away angry, just go away.