July 10, 2009
By Melodie Woerman and Jerald Hyche

Central Ecuador, which has been without a diocesan bishop for three years, will have to wait a little bit longer to find out whether the election of the Rev. Luis Fernando Ruiz Restrepo will be validated by the House of Deputies.

Approval of the election stalled on July 10 when the Rev. Lourdes Inapanta, a Central Ecuador deputy, asked the house to withhold its consent. However, the Consecration of Bishops committee recommended that Ruiz' election by the House of Bishops on March 17 at its spring meeting be approved. The agreement of the House of Deputies is needed to make the election official.

Inapanta, speaking through a translator, asked the house to start the election procedure again. She listed a number of issues she said affected the process, including exclusion of Ecuadorian candidates and an improperly constituted search committee. Noting that a deadlocked diocesan convention in February was decided by provisional bishop Wilfrido Ramos-Orench, she said, "The bishop has the power, but we have the truth."

Her request came in sharp contrast to the consecration committee's recommendation. Its chair, Christopher Hart (Pennsylvania) and vice chair, the Rev. Nelson Pinder (Central Florida), said the committee was well satisfied that the election process followed was conducted properly and in accordance with the canons of the Episcopal Church.

Hart said the committee conducted a full hearing on the consent resolution and one proposed by Central Ecuadorian deputies that called for rejection of the bishop-elect. He said committee members asked questions through translators of all those involved and were "completely satisfied" that the process was followed and of Ruiz's suitability for the office.

A vote in the House of Deputies on the matter was delayed for a day pending printing of supporting documents that were to accompany the committee's recommendation. The consent of the House of Deputies is required for the election to be valid.

Provisional bishop replies

At the conclusion of the House of Bishops session July 10, Ramos told his colleagues that remarks made by Inapanta were "lies" and asked their help in securing consent to Ruiz' selection.

"These last 48 hours have been very painful for me," Ramos said. "The integrity of the process is being challenged. My own integrity and reputation is at stake. I heartily believe that we followed due process. I testified before the committee of consent and so did other people. But one of our deputies is making a lot of allegations and misinformation and I would say lies, which is a sense of betrayal I am experiencing."

Saying the lack of consent would be "disastrous" for the Central American diocese, Ramos asked fellow bishops for their help. "My hope is that your conversations with your deputies," he said, "you can bring clarity to their minds so they will know that we did what we did consciously, there was nothing that was rushed. We made this decision based on the future of this diocese."

Episcopal News Service
Melodie Woerman is communications director of the Diocese of Kansas. The Rev. Jerald Hyche is associate rector of St. Martin's Episcopal Church, Houston.