By NEELA BANERJEE
Published: June 19, 2006
COLUMBUS, Ohio, June 18 — The Episcopal Church elected Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori of Nevada as its presiding bishop on Sunday, making her the first woman to lead a church in the history of the worldwide Anglican Communion.
Many Episcopalians gathered here for the church's triennial general convention cheered the largely unexpected choice of Bishop Jefferts Schori, 52, the lone woman candidate in a field of seven and one of the youngest people vying for the job. Her election was a milestone for the Episcopal Church, which began ordaining women only in 1976.
At the last general convention, in 2003, the church consented to the election of an openly gay man, the Rev. V. Gene Robinson, as bishop of New Hampshire. The decision deeply offended some Episcopalians in the United States and many Anglican primates abroad, who saw it as blatant disregard of Scripture. Since then, some United States congregations have left the Episcopal Church, and primates overseas have threatened schism.
Bishop Jefferts Schori supported Bishop Robinson's election in 2003, and the Episcopal Diocese of Nevada permits the blessing of same-sex unions. Moreover, that Bishop Jefferts Schori is a woman could further strain relations with three dioceses in the United States and many Anglican provinces that refuse to ordain women as priests and bishops, critics of the vote said Sunday.
But Bishop Jefferts Schori held out hope of mending any breaks that her election or previous positions on issues may cause. (full story)
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