Episcopal bishops may ponder demands
But decision on their response to Anglicans on gays is not certain
BY TINA ESHLEMAN
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Mar 17, 2007

Episcopal bishops from around the nation who are meeting in Texas through Wednesday are expected to discuss demands by global Anglican leaders about homosexuality in the church.

But they might not make a decision on how to respond to the Anglican primates, who met last month in Tanzania and set a Sept. 30 deadline for a response by the bishops. The primates want assurances that bishops will not authorize blessings for same-sex couples or allow the consecration of any more gay bishops.

"I think it is important to note that the meeting is part of a process of disciplined reflection and listening to the wider Church," Patrick N. Getlein, secretary of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia, wrote in an e-mail this week.

He said the House of Bishops, one of two bodies that make up the General Convention of the Episcopal Church, will meet again in September. "There could be a collective response at that time." (The second body, the House of Deputies, is made up of elected clergy members and lay people from each diocese.) the rest