Walter Righter dies at 87; controversial Episcopal bishop

Walter C. Righter, retired Episcopal bishop, was absolved of heresy charges after ordaining a non-celibate gay man as a deacon in 1990.
By Elaine Woo, Los Angeles Times
September 13, 2011

Walter C. Righter, a retired Episcopal bishop of Iowa who was absolved of heresy charges after ordaining a non-celibate gay man as a deacon in 1990, died Sunday at his home outside Pittsburgh after a long illness. He was 87.

His death was confirmed by Rich Creehan, a spokesman for the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh, where Righter was ordained 60 years ago.

Righter became a lightning rod for dissent over the ordination of gays in the Episcopal Church when he was an assistant bishop in Newark, N.J., under Bishop John Spong, an outspoken supporter of ordaining lesbians and gays.

In 1990, with Spong's approval, Righter ordained Barry Stopfel, whom he knew to be gay, as a deacon, a rank below that of priest. The next year Spong ordained Stopfel as a priest. the rest

In a statement Monday on Righter's death, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori said: "The Episcopal Church can give thanks for the life of a faithful and prophetic servant.... His ministry will be remembered for his pastoral heart and his steadfast willingness to help the church move beyond old prejudices into new possibilities."