Episcopal church in turmoil
Nullification of election in S.C. diocese, rejection of Anglican call for new leadership stirred pot
By ROBYN PASSANTE
March 25, 2007

Two major developments in the Episcopal church have left Lowcountry Episcopalians wondering about the future of their diocesan leadership and their church.

On March 15, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori invalidated the election of the Very Rev. Mark Lawrence as the next bishop of the Diocese of South Carolina, saying some of the 56 necessary consents for his election were given electronically, which is against church law.

Less than a week later, Episcopal bishops released a letter that reiterated the church’s support for gays and rejected a call from Anglican leaders to allow dissident conservative congregations to be overseen by a separate body. The Diocese of South Carolina, which includes Beaufort County, is among those conservative dioceses that have asked for alternate Anglican leadership. the rest