Pittsburgh Bishop Robert Duncan has come clean: The archbishop-in-waiting all but admits that his long-term agenda is to stage a traditionalist takeover of the Episcopal Church. In an interview with The Living Church, +Duncan says:
TLC: So, as a body within the Episcopal Church, what’s your “lifespan"?
Bishop Duncan: Well, of course we claim to be, constitutionally, the Episcopal Church. And there’s every evidence, both from what the Windsor Report says and what the primates said in accepting it, in their communiqué in Northern Ireland, that we are the Anglicans.
If the Episcopal Church’s constitution says that we’ll be constituent members of the Anglican Communion, and the Anglican Communion now says, Episcopal Church, you’re in time out. In fact, you’re not only in time out, but it appears you’re making a decision to walk apart.
If in General Convention 2006 the Episcopal Church determines to walk apart, then the question we ask is, who is the Episcopal Church? And our legal basis will be to say, we are, of course, because they have broken the constitution.
* * * You know, there’ll be infinite court battles, but it’ll be very interesting, since the Communion will have said the Episcopal Church walked apart, and the Episcopal Church’s Constitution says that you’ve got to be constituent members [sic], and we’re the only ones they recognize as constituent members, so who’s the Episcopal Church, legally?
It’ll be very interesting time. I mean, we don’t want to go to court, but it’s quite clear the Episcopal Church is always ready to go to court, and this time I think they might not be so willing to go to court, because we think there’s every reason they’ll lose.
(Emphasis and extra paragraphing added.)
Well, at least he’s finally being open about it. In another post I’ll dissect the bad legal advice he seems to be getting from somewhere. (Hat tip to TitusOneNine.)
Well, of course we claim to be, constitutionally, the Episcopal Church...
What the ?!? Duncan is quite frankly deluded if he actually believes this. Of course, he may have said it just to keep the AAC faithful all stirred up so their leadership can continue to draw on their support. A common tactic amongst extremist religious & political groups that the AAC hasn't been shy about employing before.
Posted by: Simeon | April 29, 2005 at 03:45 PM