TEC House of Bishops' Task Force on Property Disputes evidence to PB on Bishop of Pittsburgh

MEMORANDUM

September 5, 2008

To: House of Bishops
From: Task Force on Property Disputes
Re: Evidence of Abandonment by Bishop Duncan

Enclosed please find a comprehensive memorandum from the House of Bishops Task Force on Property Disputes offering evidence conclusively establishing the abandonment of the communion of The Episcopal Church (TEC) by Bishop Robert Duncan as that action is defined in Canon IV.9. In his letter to the House of Bishops dated August 24, 2008, Bishop Duncan characterizes his actions as innocuous: “to speak and write in support of an action not yet taken, is not the same as taking the action."

Aside from the fact that an Episcopal Bishop advocating leaving TEC and taking property of TEC out of the Church is, in fact, an action constituting a renunciation of the Discipline of TEC, the truth is that Bishop Duncan has gone much, much further than simply advocating certain actions not yet taken. In truth, he is actively engaged in doing what he advocates, in that he has

- actively participated in drafting resolutions for that purpose,
- actively advocated amending diocesan canons for that purpose,
- actively sought reception for the Diocese from the Presiding Bishop of the
Southern Cone, and
- actively laid plans to continue to claim to the Bishop of The Episcopal
Diocese of Pittsburgh even after the Diocese of Pittsburgh has voted to
separate from TEC. The attached memorandum contains all those sworn
statements.

That the Convention of the Diocese of Pittsburgh has not yet voted to follow where Bishop Duncan has led the way is in no way relevant. We hope, even now, and despite Bishop Duncan’s leadership and predictions, that they will not renounce us.

Bishop Duncan, however, has already done so. Read more
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