Integrity salutes the election of the Rt. Rev. Mark Handley Andrus as the eighth Bishop of California. Integrity President Susan Russell said: "Bishop Andrus is a long-time Integrity ally and will bring his support for the full inclusion of LGBT people in the life of the church to his ministry in California."Brad LaMonte, Integrity’s Southeastern Regional Vice President and a parishioner in the Diocese of Alabama, added: "Bishop Andrus’ election is a great loss for my diocese, but a great gain for the Diocese of California. Bishop Andrus is a person of vision who has led our diocese in confronting poverty and racism. He has given a voice to the voiceless. He is great champion for human rights. including equality for LGBT people. This past March he led a wonderful retreat for Integrity/Alabama."
The Rev. Michael Hopkins, immediate past president of Integrity, commended the Diocese of California on its search. "It was one of the most exhaustive searches I've ever seen. For two full years, they conducted town hall meetings, had all the nominees do walkabouts, put out special curricula for all their congregations, and then they had all the nominees answer the congregations' questions in detail.The entire process was driven by finding the best possible bishop for the diocese as they see themselves now and for the future. In their bishop-elect I believe they have found that bishop."
According to the canons of the Episcopal Church, Andrus will be subject to confirmation by the church's triennial General Convention of bishops and deputies.which will be held in Columbus, Ohio, beginning on June 12.
2 comments:
Somebody needs to say it....the Diocese of California, while electing a bishop who is eminently qualified, has maintained the staus quo in ECUSA in more ways than one. Of 7 candidates, the only true fit was a straight white male? I find that hard to swallow and frankly, I think so should they. In the SF Bay area of all places, when push came to shove, they wanted a "Daddy." They found all kinds of reasons to disavow the other candidates. Too perky. Not perky enough. They made it a personality contest not a prophetic contest. They couldn't settle for someone who didn't fit their mold. And what was the mold? What it's always been...a straight white male. Yes, +Andrus will be a good bishop. He just won't make history. He'll always be the staus quo guy. And, let's be honest, aren't we tired of the status quo?
Part of me agrees with you, BR. But looking on the bright side, in his first official statement, he went out of his way to reach out to gay men and lesbians (AND THEIR PARTNERS) and he made it very clear his agenda is principally about inclusion. The reaction from the Tituses of this world has been uniformly hostile, which means they have already figured out, this wasn't a "win" for their side. The biggest regret I have is that the "fork in the road" has been moved ahead again. This is going to be another convention that doesn't settle this issue once and for all, I'm afraid.
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