Concerned Episcopalians Steering Committee
March 19, 2006
It is with profound sadness we are compelled to respond to some of the statements contained in the March 14th letter from Bishop Bennison to the deputies and delegates to the upcoming Special Convention.
Since January, when the March Special Convention was announced, Bishop Bennison has consistently indicated that the only issues which would be discussed at convention would be the pending budget resolution and any issues which have a direct relationship to the budget proposal. It seems ironic if not disingenuous to receive a letter in the convention packet which contains comments, allegations and innuendo over the signature of Bishop Bennison which is in direct contradiction to previous public statements regarding what would be the agenda at convention.
What motivated Bishop Bennison to use an introductory letter to the Special Convention as a forum to respond to the Mathews Report can only be a matter of speculation. We respectfully suggest that a more appropriate process would be for Bishop Bennison to respond directly to Bishop Mathews and/or the Presiding Bishop. Furthermore it shouldbe noted that the Mathews Report stated:
“A new design which had the Bishop coming into each session at the end as an observer to hear a summary of the content of the meetings was put into place. At the end of each summary the following question was presented to all assembled, ‘Has anything new been said today that you have not already said to the Bishop before,’ and the answer was always, “no.””
In other words, the information contained in the Mathews Report has been communicated to Bishop Bennison before. To use a pre-convention letter to question the honesty and accuracy of the information contained in this report does little to bring about an atmosphere of understanding. In fact it could be argued that this action simply widens the growing division within our Diocese.
As part of this announcement, we the Concerned Pennsylvania Episcopalians, join in supporting the response statement issued by the Standing Committee with regard to Bishop Bennison’s comments criticizing the Mathews Report. The full text of their response can be read by visiting the Standing Committee’s web site; www.diopastandingcommittee.org
In conclusion we support and stand behind the statements, facts, assessments and conclusions of the Mathews Report.
Lastly, we pray for God’s mercy and intervention
