Calif. Episcopal Bishops Worried About Secession
By Daniel Burke
Religion News Service

In a conflict that could have wide repercussions for the deeply divided Episcopal Church, four California bishops have accused a fellow prelate of planning to break away from the church and have asked a disciplinary panel to stop him.

By allowing critical changes to his diocese's bylaws, conservative Bishop John-David Schofield of San Joaquin, Calif., is clearly preparing to abandon the 2.2 million-member Episcopal Church, the four bishops argue.

Moreover, at a volatile moment when disputes over church leadership and property threaten to rip its 110 U.S. dioceses apart, the church could be thrown into legal disarray by San Joaquin's actions, according to church experts. story