A.S Haley: Clearing up Misconceptions about South Carolina

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Reading articles and comments about what is going on between ECUSA and its Diocese of South Carolina, I find a level of misunderstanding which is preventing clear communication. Let me try to clear up at least a few points by using a Q and A format.

Q Exactly who sent to Bishop Lawrence the documents published on South Carolina's website which accuse him of "abandonment of Communion"?
A The cover letter for the documents has not been published. However, we know from Bishop Lawrence's letter to his Diocese that the Rt. Rev. Dorsey Henderson, President of the Disciplinary Board for Bishops, sent the documents to him, to inform him that charges considered "serious" had been lodged against him under the newly adopted Title IV disciplinary canons.

Q And who sent the charges to the Disciplinary Board?
A No one is admitting to having done so, but from their nature, two things appear: 1) they come from disaffected Episcopalians in the Diocese itself, and 2) many of the charges are identical to the ones about which a group calling itself "The Episcopal Forum of South Carolina" (for more information, see this earlier post) complained in a letter they sent last September to the Church's Executive Council and its House of Bishops.

Much more here...


Fr. Dale Matson: Rowan Williams And The Possible Deposition Of Bishop Lawrence