August 6, 2010

The Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania's Standing Committee plans a "time of open conversation and an opportunity to share our thoughts and feelings" about the reinstatement of Bishop Charles E. Bennison as diocesan bishop.

Evening Prayer will begin at 4:30 p.m. at Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral and conclude after Compline at 6 p.m.

In between, Assisting Bishop Rodney Michel will guide the conversation, the Standing Committee said in a letter.

The Court of Review for the Trial of a Bishop announced Aug. 4 that it had overturned a previous finding that Bennison had committed serious disciplinary offenses warranting his removal ("deposition") from the ordained ministry. The court of review concluded that Bennison had engaged in conduct unbecoming a member of the clergy; but found that the charge was barred by the church's statute of limitations.

The decision by the Court of Review for the Trial of a Bishop is online at http://www.episcopalchurch.org/documents/A-51_Final_Judgment_(3).pdf.

The Standing Committee, which has been the ecclesiastical authority in the diocese since Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori inhibited Bennison in October 2007, said in its letter that it met Aug. 5 "to share both our concerns and hopes for this Diocese in the new light of the decision of the court of review."

Bennison said during a news conference after the ruling was announced that he intends to return to the diocese on Aug. 16. The Standing Committee said that Bennison had asked Michel to "continue for a time" and that Bennison plans to meet initially with diocesan leaders "as we enter a new stage in our relationship together."

The Standing Committee members said "we recognize our differing perspectives and experiences as a source of blessing and opportunity, not of weakness."

"As we enter a new chapter in our common life with Bishop Bennison's return, we are committed to continuing our good work and relationships together, to clarifying our vision and mission, supporting the weak and vulnerable among us, and seeking new ways to proclaim the love of God and the Good News of Jesus Christ," they wrote.

The Standing Committee, noting that "surely our responses to the decision of the court vary broadly," went on to say that "this is not the time to withdraw and go our separate ways; this is the time to come together, to recommit ourselves to our baptismal vows and to our common life, to offer our unique gifts and resources, to provide a beacon of hope, and together be agents of God's justice and mercy in this Diocese of Pennsylvania."

Episcopal News Service