In accordance with our Lord’s High Priestly prayer that we he one and in the spirit of resolution Al59 of the 75 General Convention1: and in obedience to his great commission to go into all the world and make disciples: and in gratitude for the gift of Anglican Communion as a sign of the Holy Spirit’s ongoing work of reconciliation throughout the world, we offer the fbllowing resolutions with the hope of “mending the tear in the fabric” of our common life in Christ in the Anglican Communion.

RESOLVED, The House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church, mindful that it is the duty of a Bishop to order the public liturgy of the church in his or her diocese, undertakes and covenants not to authorize or permit any public Rite of Blessing for same-sex unions in our dioceses or General Convention (consistent with the resolution B020 of the 1991 General Convention and with the recommendations of the Windsor Report, and the teaching expressed in Resolution B101 of the 1994 General Convention,2 and in line wih the standard of teaching commanding respect across the Anglican Communion, as most recently expressed in Resolution 1.10 of the 1998 Lambeth Conference), and be it further

RESOLVED, The house of Bishops, noting that the Executive Council in their resolution ECO11 accepted the report of the Communion Sub-group of the Joint Standing Committee of the Primates Meeting and the Anglican Consultative Council as a helpful evaluation of the 75 General Convention’s response to the Windsor Report, concur with the conclusion of that report, that the passing of Resolution B033 of the 75th General Convention means that a candidate for episcopal orders living in a sexual relationship outside of Christian marriage shall not receive the necessary consents, unless some new consensus emerges on these matters across the Communion; and be it further

RESOLVED, that, in accord with the pledge of the House of Bishops given in March 20 2007, and affirmed by the Executive Council in June 14 2007, the House of Bishops undertake to respond pastorally and provide for those groups alienated by recent developments in the Episcopal Church in a way acceptable to them and that enables the Primates to end all interventions. We commend to the Presiding Bishop a renewed consideration of the Pastoral Scheme proposed in the Dar es Salaam communiqué.

signed: Bruce MacPherson, Russell Jacobus, Geralyn Wolf, C Franklin Brookhart

EXPLANATION
In proposing these resolutions we express our belief that the matters addressed are consistent with the constitution and canons of the Episcopal Church. Furthermore, we believe the pattern of pastoral care recommended in the Dar es Salaam communiqué will adequately meet the needs of those petitioning for alternative primatial oversight/relationship.

B101 - 1994
Resolved. That the House of Bishops affirming “the teaching of the Church that the normative context for sexual intimacy is lifelong, heterosexual, monogamous marriage, and pursuing our Anglican tradition of historic truth encountering contemporary life, offers Continuing the Dialogue: A Pastoral Study Document of the House of Bishops to the Church as the Church Considers Issues of Human Sexuality to the Church as a way for the Church to continue the dialogue on human sexuality; and be it further

B020 - 1991

Resolved, the House of Deputies concurring. That this church receive the report of the Standing Committee on Human Affairs as clear evidence of no strong consensus in this Church on the human sexuality issues considered or the resolutions proposed; and be it further

Resolved. That the Office of the Presiding Bishop now be directed to propose to all provinces of the Anglican Communion and all churches with whom we are in ecumenical dialogue that a broad process of consultation be initiated on an official pan-Anglican and ecumenical level as a bold step forward in the consideration of these potentially divisive issues which should not be resolved by the Episcopal Church on its own.

footnotes:
1. Resolved, the House of Bishops concurring, That the 755 General Convention of The Episcopal Church reaffirm the abiding commitment of The Episcopal Church to the fellowship of churches that constitute the Anglican Communion and seek to live into the highest degree of communion possible; and be it further Resolved, That the 75th General Convention reaffirm that the Episcopal Church is in communion with the See of Canterbury, upholding and propagating the historic Faith and Order as set forth in the Book of Common Prayer; and be it further
Resolved, That the 75th General Convention join with the Archbishop of Canterbury, the primates, and the Anglican Consultative Council in making a commitment to the vision of interdependent life in Christ characterized by forbearance, trust, and respect, and commend the Windsor Report and process as a means of deepening our understanding of that commitment; and be it further
Resolved, That as an expression of interdependence, the Presiding offices of both Houses work in partnership with the churches of the Anglican Communion to explore ways by which there might be inter-Anglican consultation and participation on Standing Commissions of the General Convention of The Episcopal Church (Resolution A159).
2. The House of Bishops affirms “the teaching of the Church that the normative context for sexual intimacy is lifelong, heterosexual, monogamous marriage” (B101 1994)