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NEWARK, NJ: Gay leader now unlikely for Newark Diocese
By JOHN CHADWICK STAFF WRITER
The Record and Herald News
June 23, 2006
The liberal, gay-friendly Episcopal Diocese of Newark may be barred from having a homosexual leader, its outgoing bishop said Thursday.
The Episcopal Church, meeting this week for its general convention in Columbus, Ohio, approved a resolution that calls on church leaders to reject any candidate "whose manner of life presents a challenge to the wider church and will lead to further strains on communion."
Newark Bishop John P. Croneberger, who will retire in January, said in a telephone interview that despite its vague wording, the resolution could effectively bar gay candidates. He pointed out that whoever wins the diocesan election must next get approval from a majority of bishops and their standing committees in the 111 American dioceses.
"We could nominate a gay or lesbian candidate, and we could elect a gay or lesbian candidate," Croneberger said. "But the chances after this of getting the consent of the bishops and standing committees would be very slim."
The Newark Diocese, which covers seven counties, including Bergen, Passaic, Hudson and Morris, was one of the first in the nation to ordain gay priests and bless same-sex couples. With Croneberger's retirement pending, it's expected that the vacancy will draw gay candidates.
But the election in 2003 of an openly gay bishop in New Hampshire has divided the national church and caused an upheaval among global brethren in the worldwide Anglican Communion.
Meeting for the first time since 2003, the leaders of the American church were under heavy pressure from foreign primates and conservatives in their own ranks to enact a moratorium that specifically banned gay bishops.
Although the final resolution didn't mention homosexuals and was considered non-binding, Croneberger said he and about 20 other bishops opposed the measure.
"The word 'moratorium' doesn't appear, but in fact it is a moratorium," he said. "And though technically it's non-binding, there's a feeling that the convention acted on this matter, and it's pretty serious business, and we should be in compliance with it."
Croneberger said it was likely that the majority approved the measure to keep in good graces with the communion, a 77 million-member Protestant body that includes deeply conservative provinces in Asia and Africa.
"My take is that we were placed in an almost impossible paradox," he said. "We were asked to choose between two good things -- being truly committed to the inclusion of gay and lesbians and continuing our long historic relationship with the Anglican Communion."
Meanwhile, some conservatives said the resolution doesn't go far enough.
"This was disingenuous," said Daryl Fenton of the Anglican Communion Network, a dissident group representing 10 dioceses. "It's clear that the bishops who passed the resolution intend to continue the same pattern of behavior."
Fenton said the Episcopal split is now permanent.
"This is serious and there's going to be consequences beyond what anybody has imagined."
Croneberger's successor will be elected Sept. 23 by priests and lay representatives from each parish. A nominating committee will announce the names of four to six finalists next week.
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