FRESNO, Calif. – In a public rebuke of the Episcopal Church, a conservative diocese voted Saturday to affirm its membership in the worldwide Anglican Communion after distancing itself from the American denomination over issues of sexuality and the ordination of women.
Some delegates to the Diocese of San Joaquin’s convention called it a first step toward a formal break with the national church.
Divisions erupted in 2003 when the Episcopal Church, the U.S. wing of the 77 million-member Anglican family, consecrated the first openly gay bishop, Gene Robinson of New Hampshire. Traditionalists contend that gay partnerships violate Scripture.
San Joaquin Bishop John-David Schofield, who refuses to ordain women and gays, has publicly accused the church’s first female leader, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, of promoting “heresy.” Under his leadership, the Fresno-based diocese has stopped sending most funds to the national church and has considered a plan to affiliate with an Anglican diocese in Argentina.
The San Joaquin diocese’s proposal to distance itself from the American denomination was approved by a majority of the 204 clergy and lay delegates. It formalizes the diocese’s identity as a member of the Anglican Communion, rather than a member of the Episcopal Church.
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