At 3:01 p.m., the president of the House of Deputies announced that there had been an election. Some time later, maybe about 3:30 or so, after the consecration committee had OKed all the paperwork, the name was read out. The mood was jaw-droppingly ecstatic, as I posted.
After some testimony and affirmative speeches (and one dissenting speech, despite three invitations for negative speeches by the president), Jefferts Schori (now known as the Presiding Bishop-elect) was ratified by the House of Deputies as the next PB. This required the consent of lay and clerical deputies. The votes, by the waym were by diocese. In the lay order, it was 94 yes, 8 no, and 7 divided (this means that in a diocese with four lay deputies, two voted yes and two voted no). In the clerical order, the vote was 98 yes, 9 no, and 4 divided.
Once the overwhelming vote total was determined, Jefferts Schori was escorted in. The standing ovation bordered on joyous pandemonium.
Here is Jefferts Schori walking toward the podium.
She addressed the House of Deputies for a few minutes. Here she's pictured at the podium with Presiding Bishop Griswold, President of the House of Deputies Werner, and her husband, Richard Miles Schori.
Jefferts Schori was greeted by a looonnggg standing ovation. Here is most of our deputation from Rhode Island (the other deputy on the floor at the time was blocked from my view by a TV camera).
The place was pretty full. In addition to the thousand or so usual suspects (deputies, volunteers, and the press), several hundred visitors filled the gallery. Here you can get a flavor for the crowd. The foreground is the press area, the deputation area is on the left, and the gallery is in the background. It was standing room only.
Once she started speaking, people listened intently. This is just a fraction of the visitors who were in the room.
After she spoke with the Deputies, the Presiding Bishop-elect had a press conference.
Lots of people were present for the press conference. Just to my left were two female bishops. In the foreground is Bishop Barbara Harris, and Bishop Gayle Harris is in the background. Barbara Harris is the first female Anglican bishop, and Gayle Harris is a suffragan bishop in Massachusetts now.
Just before the press conference for Jefferts Schori started, David Anderson had his own impromptu media gathering for anyone who cared to listen. Anderson is head of the conservative American Anglican Council. I'll post some reactions from them and other people unhappy with the PB choice tomorrow.
At the end of the conference, we got to give the whole Schori family a taste of the paparazzi. They stood on the platform while we all snapped and flashed away. From left to right: Richard Miles Schori, the Presiding Bishop-elect, their daughter Katharine Johanna Schori, and their daughter's husband--whose name I don't have handy here at 1 a.m. Will try to find it. Sorry.
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