Bishop's Easter message for 2008

Dear Friends,

At the end of the Easter Gospel in John, Jesus appears to Mary and asks, "Woman, why do you weep."

Thinking he is the gardener, Mary answers him " Sir if you have carried him away, tell me, and I will take him away."

In other words, what she is saying is:

If you tell me what has happened I will not ask Peter what to do, I will not go fetch the Beloved Disciple, just tell me and I will take responsibility, " I will take him away. "

Jesus says her name and she recognizes him and she goes and announces to the disciples "I have seen the Lord"

Easter is not merely a time for priests to proclaim Jesus Christ is risen today, as part of a liturgy, it is a time for each of us, priest and lay person, long time believer, recent convert - a time for each to tell our story of the Lord, it is the time for each of us to Proclaim

"I have seen the Lord" Hallelujah

May you see the Lord in this Easter season, may you take him away with you and may you proclaim his presence in your life and in your living.

+David

The Right Reverend David Torraville
Bishop , Diocese of Central Newfoundland and Labrador

July 18, 2007

Post General Synod, Pastoral Letter

Dear Friends,

In the weeks since General Synod I have reflected on what I might say to the clergy and people of the Diocese. I am writing this letter to the clergy and members of the Diocesan Executive and you can share it as you see fit. A copy will be posted on our Diocesan website.

On Sunday morning I attended the 8:30am service at St. Martin’s. It was a Book of Common Prayer Eucharist with the appointed BCP readings for the Sixth Sunday after Trinity; Luke 6.27ff,

Jesus said, " Love your enemies... pray for them which despitefully use you...as ye would that people should do to you, do ye also to them likewise... Be ye therefore merciful as your Father also is merciful". Such beautifully poetic words of challenge, for any of us who have fallen short of the Glory of God, for these words do not call us to a change of behaviour but to a change of attitude.

Any of you who followed the General Synod debate, particularly on the internet, would have noted that almost every speaker invoked the Holy Spirit in their remarks, but following the vote, any reference to the Holy Spirit has all but disappeared. For the most part injunctions to the Holy Spirit have been replaced with condemnation of " the other side", and the assigning of blame.

It is my belief that every person who voted at General Synod voted the way we did for the very same reason. We felt, for a whole myriad of reasons; some sound, some, perhaps, not so sound, that our vote was the right vote. I cannot claim to understand the path, along which the Holy Spirit is calling us, and I am not certain of what the final destination will look like; but what I do know, with every fiber of my being, with everything in me that yearns for God, is that the Holy Spirit is present in this journey and that in the end we can come closer to God and to one another. The greatest fear I have for our church is that we, who are its imperfect members, will fail in Jesus’ call to love our ‘enemies’, fail in Jesus’ call to be merciful. The fear I have is that we will fail, not in our behaviour, but in our attitude.

In the meantime, it seems to me, based on the discussion at our Diocesan Synod and in conversations with individuals, that our Diocese, generally, leans toward a traditional stance concerning the issues around sexuality. We have generally understood scripture and tradition not to be supportive of same sex blessings and we have a deep concern about how moving ahead with blessings will affect our relationship with the wider communion. I think this was clearly reflected at Diocesan Synod, although, I am certainly open to a continuing conversation to discern where all members of the Diocese find ourselves.

Indeed, we need to understand that large numbers of committed Canadian Anglicans, interpreting the scripture faithfully, in response to the Holy Spirit, as they discern the movement of the Spirit, and in pastoral concern for gays and lesbians have come to very different understandings. These understandings have been arrived at just as prayerfully, under the guidance of the same Spirit, as those who have come to more "traditional" understandings. Therefore, we will have to develop ways of working, worshiping, proclaiming the Gospel and ministering to all communities, while respecting those different understandings .

I reaffirm what I stated in my first "Bishop’s Charge"; I am a member of the Anglican Church of Canada and I will not leave it. As imperfect as we are, Anglicans, on all sides of a whole range of issues, have shown a generous patience with each other and we have continued a public conversation when many others would have given up or gone into hiding. We have always been a church which made it possible for people of widely differing views, to worship and work together. I agree with the St. Michael Report and see no reason why this issue should divide the Canadian Church or the Communion or indeed, our Diocese, and if it does happen it will not be at my encouragement or with my support.

Hopefully, as we come to a better understanding of one another, fostering the merciful and forgiving attitude to which Jesus calls us, the Holy Spirit will guide us toward a greater unity of purpose if not practice.

In relation to practice, I have appended a copy of the Bishop’s Pastoral Statement, and commend it to your attention. I would also share some directions and thoughts of my own concerning the Bishop’s Statement.

It is my expectation that no child in the Diocese of Central Newfoundland be denied baptism, solely on the basis of the sexual orientation, or the marital status, of the parents and no baptized Christian in our Diocese will be denied communion or confirmation because of being in a committed homosexual relationship or because of their marital status.

Further, I would, in the spirit of the Statement, ask rectors to offer "the most generous pastoral response possible within the current teaching of the church."

Finally, I remind you that this issue cannot so overwhelm us or sap our energy that we fail to offer the many and varied ministries conducted in our congregations. The sick must continue to be visited, the broken hearted lifted up, the grieving comforted, the Good News preached. The whole work of the Church must continue.

In closing I would commend to your prayers those whose understanding is different from your own, asking for the guidance of the Holy Spirit for all of us, so that God’s will be done in each of our lives and that regardless of where the Holy Spirit leads, we pray that we can follow with courage and humility.

Yours faithfully,

+David

Statement from the House of Bishops to the Members of General Synod

In the name of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

The House of Bishops of the Anglican Church of Canada, meeting from April 16-20, 2007, once again discussed the question of the blessing of same-sex unions. Once again a number of diverse opinions were expressed. Again questions were raised about theology, scripture, discipline, and our church's constitution. However we did find a common strong concern for the pastoral care of all members of our church. While not all bishops can conceive of condoning or blessing same-sex unions, we believe it is not only appropriate but a Gospel imperative to pray with the whole people of God, no matter their circumstance. In so doing we convey the long-standing Gospel teaching that God in Christ loves each person and indeed loves him/her so much that Christ is calling each person to change and grow more fully into God's image and likeness. To refuse to pray with any person or people is to suggest God is not with them. All of us fall short of the glory of God but all are loved by God in Christ Jesus. We believe that in offering the sacraments we invite God's transformative action in people's lives.

We certainly hope no child is denied baptism solely on the basis of the sexual orientation, or the marital status, of the parents. It is inconsistent and unacceptable to deny baptism to children as a way of imposing discipline on the sexual behaviour of the parents.

We hope no baptized Christian will be denied communion or confirmation because of being in a committed homosexual relationship or because of their marital status.

We are committed, as bishops in Canada, to develop the most generous pastoral response possible within the current teaching of the church. We offer the following examples of possible pastoral responses:

When a civilly married gay or lesbian couple seeks our church's reception of their civil marriage and asks their parish's recognition, it may be possible, with their bishop's knowledge and permission, to celebrate a Eucharist with the couple, including appropriate intercessory prayers, but not including a nuptial blessing.

When a gay or lesbian married or committed couple seeks to hold a reception or celebration in a church for their life in Christ, again intercessory prayers for their mutual fidelity, the deepening of their discipleship and for their baptismal ministry may be offered, not including the exchange of vows and/or a nuptial blessing.

To the gay and lesbian licensed clergy of our church, we again affirm your ministry as deeply valued and appreciated, and we acknowledge the pain and conflict that many of you live with daily in your ministry in Christ.

To those who experience these pastoral statements and possible pastoral provisions as inadequate or insufficient, we recognize that they are less than the blessing of same-sex unions or marriage. However it is the discernment of the majority of the House of Bishops that as of today the doctrine and discipline of our church does not clearly permit further action, although we acknowledge that General Synod 2007 will vote on several resolutions on the blessing of same-sex unions.

To those who fear that these pastoral provisions have gone too far, we assert that this discipline is entirely consistent with the doctrine of the Church and with our membership in the Anglican Communion, and fits within the pastoral guidelines of the Windsor Report (paragraph 143). We call upon every member of the Anglican Church of Canada to continue in their faithful discipleship and the work of theological and scriptural reflection and dialogue. We are each called to participate in God's mission in the world and we believe we will do this by the grace of the Risen Christ and the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

Looking ahead, we ask the Primate and General Synod for a report on:

The theological question whether the blessing of same-sex unions is a faithful, Spirit-led development of Christian doctrine (St. Michael Report)

The implications of the blessing of same-sex unions and /or marriage for our church and the Communion (The Windsor Report)

Scripture's witness to the integrity of every human person and the question of the sanctity of human relationships.

We ask that this report be available in advance of General Synod 2010.

We commit to taking this ongoing conversation to the Lambeth Conference 2008.

___________________________________

The Right Reverend Donald Phillips
Secretary to the House of Bishops
April 30, 2007

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