Departure of Bishop Love (April 19, 2021)

As Communion Partner colleagues and friends of Bishop Bill Love, we were disturbed by the result of the disciplinary process that concluded last year and are now further troubled by his tragic departure from The Episcopal Church. Our prayers continue for Bishop Love, and for our brothers and sisters in the Episcopal Diocese of Albany, especially for its leadership, in a difficult time.

We believe that we are called to live our lives in Christ together with our fellow Episcopalians, within the Anglican Communion, as we make our witness to the Church’s traditional teaching on marriage. We are encouraged to read the statement of the Rev’d Scott Garno, president of the Standing Committee in Albany, that with respect to the upcoming election of a new bishop in Albany, “we believe there is a way forward for Albany as an orthodox diocese within the Episcopal Church.”  We share this belief, in keeping with the Presiding Bishop’s recent comments that ours is a church with “room” for us all.

This latest development is a stark reminder that more work needs to be done to secure “the indispensable place that the minority who hold to this Church’s historic teaching on marriage have in our common life, whose witness the Church needs.” (from TEC General Convention Resolution 2018-A227) We seek a “lasting path forward for mutual flourishing” for both parties, as called for by the General Convention. We ask your prayers as we, along with many others in our church, continue to follow this difficult path.

The Rt. Rev. Lloyd Allen
Bishop of Honduras

The Rt. Rev. John Bauerschmidt
Bishop of Tennessee

The Rt. Rev. Greg Brewer
Bishop of Central Florida

The Rt. Rev. Francisco Duque-Gómez
Bishop of Colombia

The Rt. Rev. Daniel Martins
Bishop of Springfield

The Rt. Rev. Moises Quezada Mota
Bishop of the Dominican Republic

The Rt. Rev. Michael G. Smith
Bishop Assistant of Dallas

The Rt. Rev. George Sumner
Bishop of Dallas