NAVASOTA -- The Episcopal Church's House of Bishops on Tuesday announced a "flying bishops" policy to provide temporary oversight to dissident conservative parishes at odds with the national church on sexual morality and other issues.
The bishops acted during a weeklong meeting and spiritual retreat at Camp Allen, a rural center operated by the Diocese of Texas.
The announcement comes amid increasing tensions within the 2.5 million-member denomination over church blessings of same-sex unions and cohabiting couples as well as the ordination of gay clergy.
Although the national church has never approved the ordination of gays or blessing of same-sex unions, conservatives complain that both occur and that participating bishops and priests are not disciplined for violating official policy.
The concept of "flying bishops" originated in England after some congregations balked at the ordination of women as priests. As in England, under the new U.S. policy, a conservative U.S. parish may seek out a like-minded bishop to provide oversight and dispense sacraments such as confirmation.
Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold of New York said the new "Covenant on Episcopal Pastoral Care" policy could be used only with permission of the bishop of the local diocese. It also requires the bishop to remain in contact with the congregation.
Griswold said the 160 bishops concluded that "supplemental pastoral care" did not require a change to the national church's constitution and canons.
The statement said such pastoral care "is to be understood as a temporary arrangement, the ultimate goal of which is the full restoration of the relationship between the congregation and the bishop."
"We encourage that their provisions be used wisely and in the spirit of charity," the policy stated.
The announcement buoyed conservative bishops who make up about a quarter of the 200-member house, which includes retired bishops.
But while the action is aimed at preventing conservative individuals and congregations from exiting the denomination, some wondered if individual liberal bishops would give the OK for flying bishops in their dioceses.
"I think we have made great progress," Bishop Robert Duncan of Pittsburgh said. Duncan is a member of the American Anglican Council, a traditionalist group seeking reform in the national church.
"I was pleased that we were able to make such a statement," Duncan said. "The question is ... will we actually do it?"
Duncan said there was "overwhelming consensus" among the bishops in support of the policy.
Suffragan Bishop Catherine Roskam, a liberal from New York, supported the policy. "I am very comfortable with it," she said, calling it a show of respect and mutual trust among the bishops.
Bishop Claude Payne of the Diocese of Texas also favored it. "It gives guidelines and some room to work in," Payne said.
Over the past 20 years, the Episcopal Church has lost about 1 million members in the United States. The losses include individuals as well as entire congregations. Some of those congregations joined the more than 30 small Episcopal denominations that split from the national church over differences that started with the ordination of women.
In the past year, a scattering of congregations across the country have left the denomination or threatened to leave because of the gay issue. Some parishes are refusing to allow liberal bishops to visit or administer sacraments.
The divisiveness in the U.S. church has resulted since 2000 in the highly irregular ordination of six American bishops by overseas Anglican primates to provide oversight to traditional parishes. The U.S. church does not recognize the men as bishops.