Apology from Episcopal Church proposed; more legislation proceeds

In a move that surprised quite a few people, the Special Committee (the folks, including Bishop Wolf, who had the thankless job of crafting/revising resolutions to respond to the Windsor Report) has sent forward to the House of Deputies as resolution that would in effect be in apology from the Episcopal Church to the Anglican Communion. The full text of the resolution, as revised, reads:

Resolved, the House of Bishops concurring, that the 75th General Convention of The Episcopal Church, mindful of 'the repentance, forgiveness, and reconciliation enjoined on us by Christ' (The Windsor Report paragraph 134), express its regret for breaching the proper constraints of the bonds of affection in the events surrounding the General Convention of 2003 and the consequences that followed; offer its sincerest apology to those within the Anglican Communion who are offended by our failure to accord sufficient importance to the impact of our actions on our church and other parts of the Communion; and ask forgiveness as we seek to live into deeper levels of communion one with another.

It is hard to know whether this resolution will actually pass. Many people here in Columbus (bishops and deputies) would prefer to express regret not for the action of consecrating a gay bishop but "for the pain that others have experienced." Look for updates here. Depending on how fast the bishops elect the new Presiding Bishop tomorrow, this resolution could reach the floor of the House of Deputies Sunday.

In other developments, the same Special Committee has sent out a resolution that would clarify the use of Delegated Episcopal Pastoral Oversight for those parishes who have trouble receiving pastoral care from their bishop for theological reasons.

Lastly, the House of Deputies has approved a measure that will make the Revised Common Lectionary the standard lectionary of the Episcopal Church starting the First Sunday of Advent 2007. Get ready to buy new books!