A parish PCC Secretary at St. Peter's Deeping Hollow, rural Lincolnshire, writes.
Dear Mrs Delawney,
We understand that you purport to be, for some, the bishop of this diocese. We need a man who you might delegate as bishop instead and will bishop to us because he has derived bishop powers at his ordination - derived properly and unpolluted because no woman was involved either when he was ordained or when his ordainers were themselves each ordained.
Our priest, Arthur Dox, agrees with this PCC and shares our convictions. He himself was ordained priest by three male bishops in attendance none of whom were ordained priest or bishop by women.
Yours
PCC Secretary, St. Peter's Deeping Hollow.
We understand that you purport to be, for some, the bishop of this diocese. We need a man who you might delegate as bishop instead and will bishop to us because he has derived bishop powers at his ordination - derived properly and unpolluted because no woman was involved either when he was ordained or when his ordainers were themselves each ordained.
Our priest, Arthur Dox, agrees with this PCC and shares our convictions. He himself was ordained priest by three male bishops in attendance none of whom were ordained priest or bishop by women.
Yours
PCC Secretary, St. Peter's Deeping Hollow.
A parish PCC Secretary at St. Paul's Quick Sandy, a town in Lincolnshire, writes:
Secretary, John Boy
Lincoln Castle
Dear John Boy
We are a Conservative Evangelical parish looking for a different bishop. Please don't contact Jane Delawney on this matter as if she delegates any action we would regard it as headship and she cannot do it for us.
Can you have a word with a bishop who is clearly evangelical and a man? It doesn't matter if a woman ordained him, so long as he is male and can be in charge. We don't accept transexuals who started out as female.
Lincoln Castle
Dear John Boy
We are a Conservative Evangelical parish looking for a different bishop. Please don't contact Jane Delawney on this matter as if she delegates any action we would regard it as headship and she cannot do it for us.
Can you have a word with a bishop who is clearly evangelical and a man? It doesn't matter if a woman ordained him, so long as he is male and can be in charge. We don't accept transexuals who started out as female.
If you won't do it we will find our own, probably overseas.
PCC Secretary
St. Paul's Quick Sandy
[Predicted!] Code of practice: Ensure that there is a supply of bishops who have derived orders from a line of exclusively male ordained bishops. Female diocesan bishops or male bishops ordained by women, or ordained by men ordained by women, or any history of women in the line of ordinations, can delegate a bishop from a line of exclusively male ordained bishops and who regards this as necessary for valid ordination.
Jane Delawney
Bishop of Lincoln
Lincoln Castle
PCC Secretary
Deeping Hollow
Dear PCC Secretary
As your and everyone's diocesan bishop observing the Code of Practice I would suggest that your own priest is ordained bishop by the three bishops of Beverley, Goole and Sunk Island, all of whom were ordained in an exclusive male line and think it important. As the Bishop of Sunk Island is going to retire soon, Arthur Dox will be bishop elect for Sunk Island. He would then have bishop duties elsewhere and so will help organise your replacement priest. Remember that although I am delegating this matter the bishops all operate in their own right.
Jane Delawney
Bishop of Lincoln
Lincoln Castle
Jane Delawney
Bishop of Lincoln
Lincoln Castle
PCC Secretary
Quick Sandy
Dear PCC Secretary
As your and everyone's diocesan bishop observing the Code of Practice I have the right to delegate a bishop of your PCC's express theological convictions. I will do this just once after which he will deal with you in future. He is the retired bishop Arthur Tickles and he will see you soon.
Jane Delawney
Bishop of Lincoln
Lincoln Castle
Bishop of Lincoln
Lincoln Castle
PCC Secretary
Quick Sandy
Dear PCC Secretary
As your and everyone's diocesan bishop observing the Code of Practice I have the right to delegate a bishop of your PCC's express theological convictions. I will do this just once after which he will deal with you in future. He is the retired bishop Arthur Tickles and he will see you soon.
Jane Delawney
Bishop of Lincoln
Lincoln Castle
The Secretary is asked to reply:
PCC Secretary
Quick Sandy
Jane Delawney
Bishop of Lincoln
Lincoln Castle
Dear Jane Delawney
Please do not do anything for us. We will find our own bishop. We have decided to appoint the Right Reverend Art Tickles, who was recently retired.
PCC Secretary
Quick Sandy
Quick Sandy
Jane Delawney
Bishop of Lincoln
Lincoln Castle
Dear Jane Delawney
Please do not do anything for us. We will find our own bishop. We have decided to appoint the Right Reverend Art Tickles, who was recently retired.
PCC Secretary
Quick Sandy
3 comments:
Great!
Yes, great fun, except that you're talking codswallop. The Diocesan Scheme stipulates who the alternative bishop to whom the Diocesan delegates will be. The parish sends a letter of request, and the Diocesan gives them the episcopal care as spelt out in the Scheme. But of course it suits the "pick a bishop" rhetoric to misread and misrepresent the Measure and Code of Practice. But you're not doing any favours to those who need to understand what is actually be proposed. Truth rather rhetoric, please.
That sounds worse to me - does it mean the bishop without the approval of (those sorts of) traditionalists is already bypassed by the diocesan scheme? Then the diocesan bishop doesn't have actual delegation - it is prearranged.
If this is so difficult to understand, can we be sure that what results will be what you say? I know you were there, but how come we are all missing the point?
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