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KANSAS: Bishop Wolfe Says Anglican Communion Netowrk out to cause Schism
Editor's note: This letter was sent by the bishop to all clergy and senior wardens in the diocese in response to information being disseminated by the Anglican Communion Network.
December 16, 2005
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I was disappointed to learn a letter was mailed this week to Senior Wardens in the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas from D.O. Smart, a former deacon in this diocese. Smart was deposed on November 1, 2005, for breaking his ordination vows, and while the letter he wrote looks official (with a seal, signed by a "dean" on behalf of an Anglican "convocation") neither Smart nor the Anglican Communion Network is affiliated with or has any authority within the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas or the Episcopal Church, USA.
The letter was mailed in plain envelopes marked "Personal," and the clergy in charge of these parishes were not afforded the courtesy of a copy.
The apparent purpose of this letter, which contains a number of falsehoods, is to drive a wedge between the laity and the clergy and to encourage faithful Christians to leave the doctrine and discipline of the Episcopal Church.
This negative mail campaign is in clear violation of the spirit of the agreement reached between Christ Church and the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas when the congregation left the Episcopal Church earlier this year. At that time we said in a joint statement, "The diocese and parish have attempted to conduct the entire process with respect for one another's beliefs and opinions. While these issues have caused great pain for many people, the agreement allows us to move forward on separate paths in our ministries." Apparently Smart no longer feels bound by this agreement.
Smart predicts the Episcopal Church will "fail to sufficiently respond to the conditions of the Windsor Report." However, Bishop John Paterson, Chairman of the Anglican Consultative Council, states that the Episcopal Church has been "exemplary" in adhering to the recommendations of this report.
Ironically, the only violations of the Windsor Report in our diocese occurred when bishops outside their own jurisdictions officiated at irregular services at Christ Church, Overland Park, including the one in which Smart was ordained a priest in the Diocese of Kampala in the Church of Uganda.
I would observe there is a certain desperation underlying this type of mailing. Smart has offered to provide information about a church to which he no longer belongs. I believe we are better prepared to provide such information.
Accordingly, if any clergy person, warden or communicant in this diocese would like information about the Windsor Report or the issues to be addressed at the 2006 General Convention, please contact me or any of our General Convention deputies, and we would be happy to meet with you.
It is becoming clear that the objective of the Anglican Communion Network is to create schism in the Episcopal Church. As your bishop, I have promised to guard the "faith, unity and discipline of the Church," and I intend to keep that vow.
In Christ,
+Dean
The Right Reverend Dean E. Wolfe
Ninth Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas
http://episcopal-ks.org/news/DioLog12-16-05.html
