The Iranian bishop's decision to quit the Anglican Communion's "Standing Committee", formed by the merger of the Standing Committee of the Anglican Consultative Council and the Standing Committee of the Primates Meeting, is an acute blow to Williams as he struggles to keep orthodox and liberal wings of the Communion together. What is now clear is that the center is no longer holding. Williams is more isolated than ever, his power and authority increasingly diminished.

Her rip at Rowan over this miter business was a stupid bit of nonsense, but she managed to morph it into an issue of the victimization of women...truly a gem; a sort of Murder in the Cathedral by mitre. She meted to the wannabe women bishops' issue in England a colossal hand up and an open door of victimhood.

Had she spoken of the Pope in that fashion, it might have made more ecclesiastical sense bearing in mind that Roman Catholicism does indeed run as a top down hierarchical church where to put it crudely, the buck does stop with the Pope.

At the beginning of the session, Kearon tried, unsuccessfully, to have discussions take place behind closed doors with no press please as it might prove too embarrassing. Jefferts Schori asked the council to vote on his request that the session be closed to all but council members. Kearon got a thumbs down. His request was decisively rejected by a show of hands. The usually benign Episcopal News Service saw this as a golden press opportunity and reported it, warts and all.