Episcopal Bishop Facing Charges from Subordinate Congregations
by Jim Brown
August 29, 2005
(AgapePress) - Formal charges have been filed against the Episcopal bishop of Connecticut who seized the property and church records of an orthodox parish over the protest of its vestry and staff.
Nineteen lay leaders and priests from six dissenting Anglican churches in Connecticut have filed charges accusing Bishop Andrew Smith of several violations of canon law. The traditionalist congregations accuse Smith of using a false canon to charge their ministers with "abandonment of communion."
A spokeswoman for the "Connecticut Six," Cynthia Brust with the American Anglican Council, says Smith has no right to freeze the bank accounts of four churches, and replace the conservative pastor of one of those parishes -- St. John's Episcopal Church in Bristol -- with a pro-homosexual female priest.
"The canons of the Episcopal Church -- nationally and at the Diocese of Connecticut -- hold that vestry, which is the elected board, is responsible for all of the legal and financial and day-to-day operations of a church," Brust explains. "A bishop cannot unilaterally seize control. [Bishop Smith has] basically claimed ownership of that church -- and that is absolutely against the canons of the church."
But Brust expresses concern about whether the orthodox churches will get a "fair shake" and have their grievance heard. "[U]nfortunately and tragically, the leadership of the Episcopal Church has been hijacked by revisionists," she says.
"If you're part of the problem, it's going to be hard to be part of the solution," Brust continues. "But I think that it's very important that these charges be brought." She also acknowledges that it is unusual for charges to be brought against a bishop -- but "it speaks to just how serious the crisis in the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion is."
ECUSA Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold has 90 days to send the charges to a review committee, which will determine whether Smith faces an ecclesiastical trial.
Jim Brown, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
