Dr. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop
Posted by David Virtue on 2007/10/6 5:40:00 (3554 reads)
NO SHAME IN EPISCOPAL CHURCH HOUSE OF BISHOPS
Commentary
By David W. Virtue
www.virtueonline.org
10/6/2007
While observing the Episcopal House of Bishops in action from the bleachers at the Intercontinental Hotel in New Orleans recently, I was struck by the fact that before me were a group of mostly white males playing out the moral delusions of the 60's as they head towards retirement in the early decades of the 21st century.
What struck me most was that, in the absence of any notion of personal sin (except perhaps child and female abuse), the idea of sin, and therefore shame, was entirely absent. Sin is now cast mostly in terms of racism and homophobia and Global South Primates who can't quite get with the program that the Episcopal Church and Mother Schori know best about how the whole Anglican Communion should be run, if only it could be let loose to run (read ruin) it.
Mercifully, that is not now going to happen. The Global South has awakened to the truth that North American bishops, like the proverbial emperors, have no ecclesiastical clothes, and what they wear has been tainted by so much sin that Joseph's coat of many colors would make better vestments, even after they have been dry cleaned a few times.
One could not help but notice the over bearing presence of Jo Mo Doss, the former worthless Bishop of New Jersey, striding around like he owned the place. He was tossed out of the diocese for, among other things, being a racist according to the Black Caucus of priests in the diocese. Compounding the outrage was a $1.5 million payout engineered by former Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold and the promise that the diocese would not hire a new bishop until the retirement date of Doss kicked in.
In the back pews of the HOB sat former Utah bishop Otis Charles looking hollow and gaunt, much like his morality. He and his male partner have five former marriages between them...and now they have each other. No shame there.
In the middle of the episcopal circus sits Vickie Gene Robinson dressed in Hawaiian shirt grinning at everyone, ready and waiting to pounce on anyone who even dares to suggest that his sexual behavior is bringing the Anglican Communion down around its ears. Naturally, he took a swipe at Rowan Williams, the titular head of the whole communion, accusing him of "dehumanizing" gays and lesbians, telling him in no uncertain terms exactly what was on his mind and heart. Never mind that in the entire history of Canterbury archbishops no one has cut sodomites more slack to engage in anal sex, presuming it is being done in a committed relationship. No point in letting an opportunity slip by without whacking your only solid friend in Lambeth Palace, now is there.
Then of course there is Charles Bennison, the idiot, sociopathic Bishop of Pennsylvania, who faces civil and ecclesiastical charges ranging from fraud to financial mismanagement of the diocese. He was the ONLY bishop to vote against the final resolution because he just had to be honest with himself about letting sodomite priests practice their behavior without fear of Episcopal inhibition and sexual curtailment. I never saw the giant bear hug Vickie must have given him, but I'm sure there must have been one. A missed photo op for sure.
Then there is Tom Shaw, Bishop of Massachusetts dressed appropriately in black monkish robes. His chaplain, a younger look-alike version of himself, is appropriately following his "master" around with a funny grin on his face, while Shaw engages his former female suffragan Bishop Barbara Harris in "deep" conversation about whatever.
There are other sodomite bishops of course, but they won't come out of the closet to support Gene. Why should they, Gene is doing all the heavy lifting for them. No need to spoil a good thing. Stay under the radar screen, Gene is doing great PR for the cause. They can cheer him along from the sidelines collecting huge pensions when they come to retire with their lovers to Mexico or wherever the dollar is still worth something.
And then of course there is Mother Schori who treats them all like a schoolmistress dealing with a bunch of recalcitrant schoolboys. The only thing missing is a large primeval (British-made) cane she can wield to whack those who get out of line about MDG's or for daring to suggest that the Great Commission might have something to do with saving souls, which might be necessary if there is to be an Episcopal Church a decade from now.
In the meantime, there are lots of papers to be written, more communiques to be handed out, more shuffle to be done, more spin to be spun, more bribes to African bishops to be made, more "mission" gabfests to attend at expensive hotels courtesy of the Episcopal Church's proxy sister, Trinity Church Wall Street, and dead men's money to be spent to keep the church afloat and law firms to pay.
After all the show must go on (and there is no shame in that) even if there is only the HOB in attendance and the lights have gone up to reveal an empty auditorium.
