This past week, the diocese elected a new bishop, its 16th, in the person of the Rev. Canon Daniel G.P. Gutierrez, canon to the Ordinary of the Diocese of Rio Grande, based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Irony of ironies, he holds a diocesan certificate in Anglican studies from Trinity School for Ministry!

Lest you think that this is divine justice raining down on the Anglo-Catholic and evangelical hating diocese (with the exception of the Church of the Good Samaritan in Paoli), or that God has suddenly developed a sense of humor, you would be wrong.

In the increasingly tangled world of Episcopal ecclesiastical politics, nothing is ever what it seems.

Gutierrez is a former Roman Catholic, like the Bishop of Long Island, Lawrence Provenzano, who is also ex-Catholic, now very pro-gay, and is in all things now an Affirming catholic, so the new bishop of Pennsylvania will be in good company.

Following marriage (to a woman) and leaving Rome, but still desirous of going into full time ministry, Gutierrez got his start in the Diocese of the Rio Grande under its former (and now departed to glory) bishop, the evangelical Terence Kelshaw, who insisted that Gutierrez get his Anglican training at TESM, and not one of the 11 liberal episcopal seminaries that still masquerade as Anglican.

To obtain his Episcopal credentials, Gutierrez obliged. However right after that he absconded to St. Norbert College, a Roman Catholic institution in de Pere, Wisconsin, to obtain his master of theological studies degree. It was there that he was profoundly affected by the liberation theology of a namesake, Gustav Gutierrez, a Latin American RC theologian.

In the walkabout, Gutierrez frequently referred to himself as a "bridge builder," but as one rector told VOL, does that mean building bridges with the handful of orthodox rectors, or just his own kind? We shall see.

A priest who was present throughout the meet and greet process at the Church of the Good Samaritan in Paoli, said it was pretty well orchestrated, and a tight rein was kept on questions. For example, no one touched on the gay issues that have galvanized and separated TEC from the Global South. They were told that the only questions permitted were those relating to the diocese. When someone asked about his education at "the ultra-conservative" TSM seminary in Ambridge and how he would fit into the diocese, he said he valued his time at TSM, but as far as he was concerned, Bishop Kelshaw required him to go there, and, by the look on his face and the edge he put to the answer, "you could tell he had nothing but disdain for the institution."

"You could hear the sighs of relief from a lot of the people...that he had only gone there because his bishop made him."

The Diocese of the Rio Grande today is firmly in the hands of a pro-gay progressive liberal, the Rt. Rev. Michael Vono, who was elected after Kelshaw was gone, and, soon after, the brief tenure of Bishop Jeffrey N. Steenson, who fled to Rome via the Ordinariate. It would be impossible for Gutierrez not to be pro-gay and accept those who wished to marry persons of the same sex. The deeper question, which remains unanswered, is will he impose this or allow priests of conscience not to have to perform them.

Gutierrez led in both clergy and lay orders on all four ballots, beating out home boy Rev. W. Frank Allen of St. David's, because, as one observer noted, he "choked", and did poorly in the small group evaluations. The smooth--talking carpetbagger Bishop of Kansas, Dean E. Wolfe, was perceived as being too much like Bennison, and nobody, but nobody, wanted to see a repeat of that. He was toast after the second ballot and withdrew.

The field was open to The Rev. Canon John T.W. Harmon, rector, Trinity Church, Washington, D.C., or Gutierrez. It was an easy choice, apparently.

"There were no substantive questions; people were steered away from tough questions by Diocesan handlers. No questions were permitted about the torn fabric of the Communion or gay issues in TEC. Nobody wanted to make the candidates feel uncomfortable. It was more about process than substance," VOL was told.

Gutierrez had clearly done his homework before coming. "The diocese has a story of pain, hope, endurance, and awakening that speaks of Christ present in our lives. This story is a testimony of the 'ongoing incarnation' of Jesus Christ. Things are being made new and new chapters are being written. Let's tell a new story," Gutierrez said in his election profile.

The dysfunctional diocese has been led by The Rt. Rev. Clifton Daniel III, who has served as provisional bishop since 2013, and The Rt. Rev. Rodney R. Michel, who became assisting bishop in 2008, after Bennison was tossed out.

Another insider said Gutierrez might yet turn out to be "the second coming of Bennison", especially on financial accountability. At the present time, all parishes must pay their episcopal assessment canonically, but not the program budget. "If he calls for and demands a unified budget, parishes with a conscience about supporting a pro-gay diocese, might find themselves in deep trouble. The future could be just as bleak as it has always been for people of orthodox views," VOL was told.

For the moment, it looks like he will come in with his catholic liberation theology guns blazing. The handful of remaining orthodox parishes can breathe a temporary sigh of relief, but that will be short lived, knowing full well that the TEC pansexual steam roller will brook no opposition. He also faces other pressing issues like the diocese's declining fortunes, dying parishes, and whether the albatross, Camp Wapiti, bought by Bennison, should be sold.

Gutierrez has been married since 1991, to Suzanne Fletcher Gutierrez, and they have one son, Jude, in high school. Gutierrez's consecration is scheduled for July 16, at New Covenant Church, in the Germantown area of Philadelphia.

When VOL wrote him about pressing, hot button, gay issues, here is what he wrote back; "As you can imagine, I have been blessed with thousands upon thousands of prayers and offerings of support. Since I have never been one to cast aside anyone or their questions as irrelevant, I have not been able to respond to the correspondence. Thus, I am taking a time of prayer, discernment and silence before I fully engage in the correspondence."

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