Bishop Love in the fight of his life for his diocese
by Mary Ann Mueller, Virtueonline:
Things are coming to a head between Bishop William Love (IX Albany) and The Episcopal Church over the performance of same-sex marriage rites in the upper New York diocese. Bishop William says “No!” The Episcopal Church says “Yes!” and the National Church will force you to do it its way or you hit the highway. Lay your crozier on the altar, clean out your desk, pack up your books, turn in your keys and leave.
Bishop Love says he can’t give in because he is a deeply committed Christian who has taken an oath — before God — to remain faithful to his Vows of Ordination he took when he was first ordained a deacon (June 22,1991); then a priest (March 1, 1992) and finally consecrated Bishop of the Diocese of Albany (September 16, 2006).
In July 2018, the Episcopal General Convention passed Resolution B-012 calling for the use of non-traditional marriage rites to be used throughout The Episcopal Church, in every diocese of the church, regardless of what the sitting bishop’s objections may be.
This means that homosexual couples (same-sex or transgendered) could demand the right to be “married” in the Episcopal church of their choice in any diocese of their choosing and the local sitting bishop could do nothing to stop it. The authority to permit the wedding ceremony, in keeping with cultural norms which spread to all 50 states in 2015, was now in the hands of the local priest, not the diocesan bishop. Sitting bishops were stripped of their authority over what goes on within their dioceses.
While at the 2018 General Convention, Bishop Love made a 10-minute impassioned defense of his ordination vows and the Scriptural authority which trump the every-changing Episcopal Church canons.
“I will, by the Grace of God, try to remain faithful to my Ordination Vows,” he said speaking directly to Presiding Bishop Michael Curry on the floor of the House of Bishops. “But, in those instances where I find that this church is asking me to go in opposition to what God has spoken through Holy Scripture — God’s Word will triumph in terms of my actions. And then, this House will have to decide how you will deal with that. But I will remain faithful to God’s Word.”
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