The Diocese of Albany’s Standing Committee responded to this week’s ruling against their bishop, the Rt. Rev. William Love with a declaration of “unequivocal support” and a pointed protest against the ruling panel’s interpretation of B012, the 2018 General Convention resolution that stripped diocesan bishops of their power to ban same-sex marriages. Love was found guilty of violating his vow to “engage to conform to the doctrine, discipline, and worship of the Episcopal Church,” and will be sentenced later this month.
They wrote, “we continue to offer our unequivocal support of Bishop Love and pray for him and his family. He is a humble servant of our Lord and we look forward to continuing to partner with him as he faithfully leads our diocese in ministry.”
“In particular, we join Bishop Love in his strong disagreement with the finding that B012 was passed as an authorized revision to the BCP. Those of us who were deputies to General Convention will attest that B012 was never presented as a Prayer Book Revision. On the contrary, there was much talk of B012 being offered, at least in part, in lieu of a Prayer Book Revision.”
The Standing Committee also expressed concern about how the ruling would “rekindle old hurts within many in the Diocese of Albany.”
“Though the hurt is real and the divisions undeniable,” they added, “there remains more that unites us than divides us. We are honored to live and serve in a Diocese full of clergy and laity who love each other deeply.”
The full letter is found below
Message From the Standing Committee of the Diocese of Albany by Kirk Petersen on Scribd
Kirk Petersen began reporting news for TLC as a freelancer in 2016, and was Associate Editor from 2019 to 2024, focusing especially on matters of governance in the Episcopal Church.