Largest Colorado Springs Episcopal Church Splits with US Leadership

The largest Episcopal parish in Colorado Springs, Grace and St. Stephen's Church, has split with the US Episcopal Church, blaming church politics and the US body's "departure from Orthodoxy" and the leadership's losing their moral way, says the Colorado Springs Gazette. The Bishop of Colorado has been attempting to control the situation through asserting the church Canon law, and asserting a right to both control of the parish and the parish's property, reports the Colorado Springs Gazette.

A nine-month financial investigation into the priest's handling of church finances has led to his suspension by the Bishop, and the parish, noting their priest of 19 years' challenging of recent church policy changes, is finding the imperious handling of the situation by the bishop as the last straw. A news release from the church, according to the Colorado Springs Gazette, said that the vestry, or board of directors, considered the situation an unsubstantiated "kangaroo court." They have decided to join other churches in the US which are separating from the US branch of the Anglican Church, and aligning with the more Orthodox Nigerian branch.

The authoritarian approach by the Bishop has been, to the members, a confirmation that the US Episcopal Church has indicated that it is not interested in adherence to orthodox Christianity. It appears to also be seen as a sign of the mounting troubles of the Episcopal Church, with leadership's diversion of church policy towards concepts of "inclusion" which some members see as a "sexual obsession" within the church leadership, as they reach to embrace homosexuality in parishes and in the priesthood.

The leader of the Nigerian branch of the Anglican Church with which a number of American parishes have aligned is said to have a diametrically opposed, some say controversial, view of homosexuality, as well as maintaining Christian orthodoxy as defined by the Anglican church, while the American branch has deviated in ways that some consider significant, and that has been seen to be causing a major rift in the Church's unity.

Articles in Colorado Springs media and an online forum for the faithful express puzzlement at the situation involving the Colorado Springs priest, with participants in the forum calling it "an abuse of power" with the silencing of the priest - apparently, the equivalent of a no-contact order with his parish - and the spending of what is said to be a significant portion of the diocese funds on what observers say could better be seen as an internal parish matter, and currently not revealed to be anything extreme enough to warrant the sanctions so far set forth against the priest.

On its website, a news release set forth the bishop's assertion that the parish's choices have no validity under Church law, that he has dismissed their leadership, and that he will communicate with them regarding his plans for the church's future. It emphasizes the seriousness of the charges against the parish priest who is under "inhibition" and has no current right to perform his duties.

A diocese letter from the bishop regarding caring for the poor in other countries, and the importance of standing together to do the work of the church may be an indirect reference both to the local, and the national situation the church is facing.

According to Colorado Springs Fox 21 Television's web site, a parish rector has responded by saying that the bishop, in the parish's view, no longer has any jurisdiction.

http://www.coloradodiocese.org/06_newsandevents/PDFs/news_release03_26_07.pdf

http://fox21news.com/Global/story.asp?S=6286155

http://www.gazette.com/onset?id=20587&template=article.html

http://titusonenine.classicalanglican.net/