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Ecclesiastical Firestorm Erupts over Diocese of Caledonia Rejection of Bishop

Ecclesiastical Firestorm Erupts over Diocese of Caledonia Rejection of Bishop
Pushback comes from Diocese of Caledonia and Anglican Church of the Arctic

By David W. Virtue DD
www.virtueonline.org
May 27, 2017

An ecclesiastical firestorm has erupted following a story I wrote about the House of Bishops of the Ecclesiastical Province of BC & Yukon rejecting the election of the Rev. Jacob Worley to be the next Bishop of Caledonia because he held views unacceptable and impermissible to the liberal ACoC because at one point in his career he served in the Anglican Mission in America. http://tinyurl.com/y82apkyt

As outlined in Canon 4 of the constitution and canons of the Province of BC & Yukon, "the decision of the [Provincial] House of Bishops shall be final" in these matters. The Diocese of Caledonia will now begin the process to hold a new electoral synod according to its canons," wrote the bishops.

Gwen Andrews, Administrator for the Diocese of Caledonia fired back saying she was deeply shocked and saddened by the failure of the Provincial House of Bishops to concur with the election of Rev Jacob Worley as the 10th Bishop of the Diocese of Caledonia.

"I am also dismayed at the process and timing followed in advising Rev Jake and myself of that decision. We both received emails on Monday morning, May 15th, followed by telephone calls from Archbishop John Privett.

"I have been advised that a statement was released to the Anglican website May 14th, and indeed was made available to the public, via Virtuonline, on May 14th.

I have called a meeting of the Clericus, and also of the Diocesan Executive Committee, to discuss this extraordinary decision and to determine an appropriate course of action."

The Rt. Rev. David W Parsons Bishop of the Arctic CC fired off a letter to Archbishop Privett, Bishops Andrews, McMenamie, Robertson and Skelton, imploring them to reverse their decision of objection to the episcopal election of the Rev. Jacob Worley in the Diocese of Caledonia.

"Your opposition is ungracious and calls our church's credibility into question. I implore you, please reconsider and do not create further turmoil within our Anglican Church of Canada. Should you reconsider, your gracious action of reversing your decision could be a step towards healing, to an already far too fractured church. Your determination to move forward with your decision may be seen very differently. It could be seen as if there is a bit of hypocrisy to say that your objection is registered under Canon 4 (b) vi "That he or she teaches or holds or within five years previously taught or held anything contrary to the Doctrine or Discipline of the Anglican Church of Canada."... when the majority of the Anglican Communion is questioning your provinces actions in regard to Doctrine and Discipline.

"It could be seen as if the province that created schism within the Anglican Communion, seeks to undermine the election of the Rev. Jacob Worley to be the future bishop of Caledonia. It could be seen that your intent is to further silence the conservative voice.

"It could seem as if the mask of civility and tolerance has been removed. The Rev. Jacob Worley has been welcomed and received by the Diocese of Caledonia, by the Archbishop of British Columbia & Yukon and by our Anglican Church of Canada, to be a priest in good standing within our denomination. The 2016 General Synod's credentials committee endorsed and declared the Rev. Jacob Worley, to be a priest in good standing and allowed the Rev. Jacob Worley to vote as a priest of the Anglican Church of Canada during General Synod.

"Your decision to reject the Rev. Jacob Worley's integrity and credibility, seems like bullying. As our Primate inferred at the Holy Table of General Synod ...the bullying must stop.

"Let's join our Primate's call to stop bulling and return to our baptismal ministry of resisting sin, the world and the devil by offering everyone the grace that we ourselves have received from Jesus."

Parsons continued: "The process was open, respectful and I believe, responsive to leading of the Holy Spirit. Did the process include the people who elected Rev. Worley? What do you intend to do with Rev. Jacob Worley? Is he now not a priest in good standing? Are the Bishops who oppose Rev. Jacob Worley 100% sure that they are hearing God the Holy Spirit? Are the Bishops who oppose Rev. Jacob Worley 100% sure that the priests and the people of Caledonia have not heard from God the Holy Spirit? If you continue in your determination to oppose Rev. Worley, I must ask by which process will you expect the Holy Spirit to now speak through Caledonia or will you come up with an entirely different process to elect a favorable bishop? Have you talked to the National Chancellor about the ramifications of your decisions and the possibility of fracturing the Anglican Church of Canada?"

"The revisionist determination to resist the reasonable, traditional, doctrines of our Anglican Church of Canada has caused the majority of the Anglican Communion to question our place within the Communion. We have also had many Canadian Anglicans dismayed and disillusioned leave our church for other denominations. I believe that the decision of the Provincial House of Bishops of the Province of British Columbia and Yukon is sending a very loud message to the world and to the church. I don't think I need to say what that message is? As our church is being torn apart my hope and prayer is that our church will indeed look closely at the actions of Provincial House of Bishop's within the Province of British Columbia & Yukon."

END

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