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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 27, 1995)
REGIONAL NEWS FROM THE NORTHWEST Clergy disagree over money, sexual orientation ■ CHURCH: Episcopal church may be in danger of splitting due to major internal battles PORTLAND (API At first glance. lilt' nearly 200 Kpiscopal bishops meeting this weejc apjitmr to be getting along anti getting things done. But beneath the apparent camaraderie lies the frustration of a church leadership that many say is bitterly divided. There are money problems, including a troubled pension fund and embezzlement scandal Some traditional Kpiscopalians are calling for Presiding Bishop Kdrnond Browning to stej> down And the bishops are trying to decide how to deal with four of their own who refuse to ordain women priests even though the church has allowed such action for nearly 20 years. The most divisive issue, how ever. is represented in the plight of one man. Walter Righter. a rt?itn»d bishop who say* hit’tl rather be enjoying a life of quiet at hit home in AI Mead. N H instead, he it facing heresy charges for ordaining a non-t eli bate gay prmst in 1990 Some say the issue of sexuali ty and how it will iw addressed threatens to tear the church apart "I can ms* it becoming a bloody brawl," said Righter, a white haired 71-yoar-old So divided are the bishops that they sjtent the better pari of Tues day morning defining the differ once between rnoan-spiritodnev. and constructive critii ism. When speaking to the group as a whole, the overriding c all is for unity Hut conversations in pri vate show another side. Righter said the 10 bishops who brought him up on charges are using him as a scapegoat to boost their own political power “These birds are caught between tin- past and tin- future They’d like to drag -everybody ku king and st reaming into the past," said Righter. who i hums •hat ordaining openly gay priests is merely dealing with reality Ho said there are about 35 bish op* who have ordained non-cell Ivate gay priests Nevertheless, Presiding Bish op Browning told the bishops that church attorneys have advised them not to discuss the Highter matter He said that if they were to talk about sexuality issues at this confereru e. 18 of the bishops who mav sit in judg ment of their |*«er would have to leave the room Ironically, some of the bishops who brought the charge against Kighter say the conference has for the most part - been a waste of time and money because set uaiity is not lieing diw ussed "There is a general frustration in the house of bishops that we re dealing with unimportant issues to avoid dealing with critical issues, said Bishop William Wuntland. of Kau ( Imre. Wts . one of the bishops who filed the heresy i barge He believes the presiding tush op and others hove looked the other way os gas [musts have t un tinued to lie ordained And that, he soul, has left him and hi* ion -ervative i ol league* little t hou e I don't want Walter to go through a trial," Want land said 1 don't know any other wav to rrai.h the issue Some say the bishop* are so divided that the only resolution may !»■ to split the iiiun.ii in two Is there a danger of it t Ves .1 very i lear danger," Wantland said "The underlying issue is a problem of authority and order " The las k of often discussion is disappointing to many 1 ache at the polarity that goes on, said the Key Al Miller, a priest in llermiston. Ore Miller said lie unne to the bish ops' meeting lo see first hand if they would resolve some of the tougher issues I he question is. Mow ran we move on together, regardless of sexual orientation, gender and rate ' Miller said "I'm not sure they can." 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