The Executive Committee of the Episcopal Church, meeting in New Jersey has issued a response to the request of the Primate’s Meeting to the Episcopal Church’s House of Bishops:

“The Episcopal Church’s Executive Council told the Anglican Communion June 14 that no governing body other than General Convention can interpret Convention resolutions or agree to deny ‘future decisions by dioceses or General Convention.’

The Council declined to participate in a plan put forward by the Primates of the Anglican Communion in February for dealing with some disaffected Episcopal Church dioceses.”

As I recall, the Executive Council is responding to the request that was not made to them because the House of Bishop’s asked them to.

For what it’s worth, I not convinced at all that General Convention is able to respond to such a request, even if I grant the fact that they are the “deciding authority of the Episcopal Church”. General Convention, in our polity, has the power to compel action that our interim bodies and Presiding Bishop don’t have. (That’s one of the reasons I think that the rest of the Primate’s get so frustrated with us, and the core of truth to the statements that others in the Communion don’t get our polity.)

But having said that, I go back to my statement: I don’t think General Convention is able to respond. I say this completely pragmatically. We weren’t able to come up with anything close to a coherent response in Columbus no matter how much time Convention gave to the question. It certainly wasn’t for lack of trying that I think we failed, it was because the structures we use are too easily manipulated by those wishing to stall or derail actions they disagree with.

And so I can’t see any reason to think that Convention in Anaheim is going to be able to do what Convention in Columbus failed to do. Which is what got us to this point in the first place…

Read the rest of the story about Executive Council’s response here: Episcopal Life Online – NEWS