In a single sentence in this summary of what happened at the recent meeting of the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church in the USA, is noted that Executive Council
Approved the Episcopal Church's membership in the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice.
This report gives a fuller account.
The Executive Council of the Episcopal Church has approved the Church’s membership in the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC), an organization whose literature states its “primary role is educating the public to make clear that abortion can be a moral, ethical, and religiously responsible decision.”The vote during the Jan. 9-12 meeting held in Des Moines, Iowa, came upon a recommendation from the Executive Council’s Committee on National Concerns. John Vanderstar, an Executive Council member from the Diocese of Washington who proposed the resolution, said it was intended to clarify the Church’s relationship to the organization. . . .
At the 2003 General Convention, resolution D045 asked that the Church withdraw from the RCRC. The House of Deputies in Minneapolis voted to refer the resolution to the Standing Commission on National Concerns, but the House of Bishops did not act, effectively killing the proposal. [nice metaphor that! cdh] . . .
Mr. Vanderstar noted the vote by Executive Council did not change the Church’s position on abortion, which has been an “unequivocal opposition to any federal or state legislation that would interfere with a woman's right to make a decision on terminating a pregnancy.” He said the vote to approve membership in the RCRC was taken “so as to lay to rest any suggestion that [Executive Council’s] 1978 action tainted that membership.”
Given that the historic Church has always condemned abortion and places those who practice or procure it under heavy penance (see here), it seems clear that from the perspective of the historic Church ECUSA endorses sin and murder.
Further implications are likewise as clear.
Posted by Clifton at January 20, 2006 01:12 PM | TrackBack