Resolved, the House of _____ concurring, That the 75^th General Convention of the Episcopal Church adopt the following statement as a response to the Instruments of Unity of the Anglican Communion:
Our History

The Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, otherwise known as the Episcopal Church, began in the aftermath of a bloody revolution against England. Because the Church of England was an established Church and because it still swears loyalty to the Crown, the “ecclesiastical independence” of this Church from the Church of England was and is necessary. (The Preface of the Book of Common Prayer, 1789, p. 10, The Book of Common Prayer, 1979) Once the United States became independent from England “the different religious denominations of Christians in these States were left at full and equal liberty to model and organize their respective Churches, and forms of worship, and discipline, in such manner as they might judge most convenient for their future prosperity; consistently with the constitution and laws of this country.” (The Preface etc.) However, from that time until the present “this Church is far from intending to depart from the Church of England in an essential point of doctrine, discipline, or worship; or further than local circumstances require.” (The Preface, etc.) Further, “It is also recognized and affirmed that the threefold ministry is not the exclusive property of this portion of Christ’s catholic Church, but is a gift from God for the nurture of his people and the proclamation of his Gospel everywhere. Accordingly, the manner of ordaining in this Church is to be such as has been, and is, most generally recognized by Christian people as suitable for the conferring of the sacred orders of bishop, priest, and deacon.” (Preface to the Ordination Rites, The Book of Common Prayer, p. 510)
Why We Consented to New Hampshire’s Election in 2003
It is the on the question of “an essential point of doctrine, discipline, or worship” that the Episcopal Church and some members of the Anglican Communion have their current disagreement. The question is, “Does the ordination and consecration to the episcopate of a person of homosexual orientation who is living in a monogamous faithful relationship with a person of the same sex represent a departure from the Church of England in an essential point of doctrine, discipline or worship?” It is the belief of the Episcopal Church that it does not.
We look first to the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral, Resolution 11 adopted by the Lambeth Conference of 1888. The Episcopal Church accepts:
The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, as “containing all things necessary to salvation,” and as being the rule and ultimate standard of faith.
The Apostles’ Creed, as the Baptismal Symbol; and the Nicene Creed, as the sufficient statement of the Christian faith.
The two Sacraments ordained by Christ Himself—Baptism and the Supper of the Lord—ministered with unfailing use of Christ’s words of institution, and of the elements ordained by Him.
The Historic Episcopate, locally adapted in the methods of its administration to the varying needs of the nations and peoples called of God into the Unity of His Church.
(The Book of Common Prayer, 1979, p. 87)
 We look also to the Thirty-nine Articles which were adopted by the General Convention of this Church in 1801.
In particular we look to Article XXV-Of the Sacraments, which states in part, “Those five commonly called Sacraments, that is to say, Confirmation, Penance, Orders, Matrimony, and Extreme Unction, are not to be counted for Sacraments of the Gospel, being such as have grown partly of the corrupt following of the Apostles, partly are states of life allowed in the Scriptures; but yet have not like nature of the Sacraments with Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper, for that they have not any visible sign or ceremony ordained of God.” (The Book of Common Prayer, 1979, p. 872)
We look also to Article XXXIV-Of the Traditions of the Church, which states in part, “It is not necessary that Traditions and Ceremonies be in all places one, or utterly like; for at all times they have been divers, and may be changed according to the diversity of countries, times, and men’s manners, so that nothing be ordained against God’s Word….Every particular or national Church hath authority to ordain, change, and abolish, Ceremonies or Rites of the Church ordained only by man’s authority, so that all things be done to edifying.” (The Book of Common Prayer, 1979, p. 874)
These Articles lead us to understand that among those commonly called Sacraments, the Sacraments of Orders and Matrimony are not sacraments of the Gospel and any visible signs or ceremonies of those Sacraments are ordained only by human authority. Therefore any national Church, including the Episcopal Church, has authority to ordain, change, or abolish the ceremonies or rites of these Sacraments, so long as nothing be ordained against God’s Word.
The precise point of disagreement within the Anglican Communion has to do with the interpretation of Holy Scripture, and in particular, the New Testament. The Episcopal Church believes Holy Scripture is the rule and ultimate standard of faith, and contains all things necessary to salvation. The Episcopal Church believes that the New Testament teaches that certain kinds of sexual behavior are sinful. These behaviors are sinful whether practiced by homosexuals or heterosexuals. The Episcopal Church believes that faithful, monogamous, and mutually consensual relations between persons of the same sex, with the intention that these relations be life long, are not addressed in the New Testament, are not condemned by it, and are consistent with a Biblical sexual ethic that requires fidelity to God and one’s beloved.  The Episcopal Church considers such behavior to be a wholesome example for the Church. Further, the Episcopal Church supports the full inclusion of homosexual persons who are wholesome examples at all levels of the Anglican Communion.
Our Regret and Repentance

It is apparent that this interpretation of Scripture is not held by the majority of those who have participated and voted within the various Instruments of Unity; the current Archbishop of Canterbury, the most recent Lambeth Conference, the recent Primates meetings, and the most recent Anglican Consultative Council. It is also apparent that in confirming the election of the Bishop of New Hampshire, the Episcopal Church has breached the constraints of the bonds of affection held between it and other members of the Anglican Communion. The Episcopal Church also holds that the responses by the Instruments of Unity to our actions have breached the constraints of the bonds of affection between us, particularly those bonds between all homosexual members of the Anglican Communion and those who hold positions of authority within the Anglican Communion. The Episcopal Church acknowledges our right as an autonomous Province within the Anglican Communion to take this action. Yet, we offer our own regret for the pain that others have experienced with respect to our actions at the General Convention of 2003 and we offer our sincerest apology and repentance for having breached the bonds of affection in the Anglican Communion by any failure to consult adequately with our Anglican partners before taking these actions.

The Episcopal Church regrets the extent to which we have, by action and inaction, contributed to strains on communion and caused deep offense to many faithful Anglican Christians as we consented to the consecration of a bishop living openly in a same-gender union. Accordingly, we urge nominating committees, electing conventions, Standing Committees, and bishops with jurisdiction to observe a moratorium by seriously considering the possibility of refraining from the nomination, election, consent to, and consecration of persons to be bishops who are living openly in a same-gender union during this triennium, until the General Convention of 2009.

The Episcopal Church affirms the need to maintain a breadth of private responses to situations of individual pastoral care for gay and lesbian Christians in this Church. We respond to the Windsor Report in its exhortation to bishops of the Anglican Communion to honor the Primates’ Pastoral Letter of May 2003 by requesting that bishops observe a period of moratorium by not proceeding to authorize diocesan-wide Rites of Blessing for same-sex unions during this triennium, until the General Convention of 2009.

In suggesting these moratoria we acknowledge not only the pain and injustice these moratoria inflict on homosexual persons who are among the faithful of this Church. We also acknowledge that the communal and sacramental life within the Episcopal Church will be impaired, and that the Episcopal Church will be depriving its episcopate of dynamic and holy leadership. By depriving the episcopate of this Church we also believe that the Lambeth Conference and thus the totality of the Instruments of Unity will also be deprived of persons whose gifts would build up the whole Body of Christ within the Anglican Communion. By imposing these moratoria the Episcopal Church believes the whole Anglican Communion will suffer. To be clear, the Episcopal Church reaffirms that gay and lesbian persons are by Baptism full members of the Body of Christ and of the Episcopal Church as “children of God who have a full and equal claim with all other persons upon the love, acceptance, and pastoral concern and care of the Church” (GC 1976-A069); and we reiterate our apology “on behalf of the Episcopal Church to its members who are gay or lesbian, and to lesbians and gay men outside the Church, for years of rejection and maltreatment by the Church,” and recommit to “seek amendment of our life together as we ask God’s help in sharing the Good News with all people” (GC1997-D011); and we reiterate that “our baptism into Jesus Christ is inseparable from our communion with one another, and we commit ourselves to that communion despite our diversity of opinion and, among dioceses, a diversity of pastoral practice with the gay men and lesbians among us  (GC2003–C051). ”
Our Future
In suggesting these moratoria the Episcopal Church signifies its deep longing to remain fully present at the Anglican table. During this time of moratoria we hope to be advocates for homosexuals throughout the Anglican Communion. It is the expectation of the Episcopal Church that having imposed these moratoria our Primate, Bishops (including the Bishop of New Hampshire), and members of the Anglican Consultative Council we will once again be invited and allowed to fully participate in the Primates meetings, the Lambeth Conference, and the Anglican Consultative Council. Whether all participants will choose to accept their invitations, particularly those bishops who are asked to absent themselves from these bodies in the Windsor Report, will depend on the conscience of each person.
Should our Primate, our bishops with jurisdiction, and our delegates to the Anglican Consultative Council not be invited or allowed full participation in these bodies, this General Convention authorizes the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church to reconsider, amend, or end these moratoria. 

The Episcopal Church commits to the ongoing “Windsor Process,” a process of discernment as to the nature and unity of the Church, as we pursue a common life of dialogue, listening, and growth, formed and informed by the Baptismal Covenant and Eucharistic fellowship; and it urges all members of this church to commit themselves to the call of communion and interdependent life; and it commends the steps taken by the Anglican Communion Office in beginning a formal “Listening Process” across the Communion, as commended by resolution I.10 of the 1998 Lambeth Conference; and it commends for further study and as part of the continued Listening Process the document To Set our Hope on Christ, prepared for the 13th Meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council by the Office of the Presiding Bishop; and it expresses its gratitude to the women of the Anglican Consultative Council’s Delegation to the United Nations Consultation on the Status of Women for providing a model of dialogue and engagement on issues of concern to all; and asks that this model be considered for implementation in the Windsor and Listening processes across the Anglican Communion; and we commend the report “One Baptism, One Hope in God’s Call” of the Special Commission on the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion as a resource in the Windsor and Listening processes.

The Episcopal Church notes with alarm the practice of bishops crossing diocesan boundaries without permission of the diocesan, in direct contradiction to the Windsor Report. The Episcopal Church affirms the centrality of effective and appropriate pastoral care for all members of this church and all who come seeking the aid of this church.  The Episcopal Church commits to the ongoing engagement of and sensitive response to the request and need of all the people of God – in particular, but not exclusively, those who agree and those who disagree with the actions of this body, those who feel isolated thereby, and gay and lesbian persons within and without this Church. The Episcopal Church recognizes the agonizing position of those who do not feel able to receive appropriate pastoral care from their own bishops, and urges the members of the House of Bishops to seek the highest degree of communion and reconciliation within their own dioceses, using when necessary the Delegated Episcopal Pastoral Oversight (DEPO) process detailed in the March 2004 statement of the House of Bishops, “Caring for All the Churches.” The Episcopal Church urges continued attention to the proper maintenance of historic diocesan boundaries and the authority of the diocesan bishop.

It is the intention of the Episcopal Church to remain “a constituent member of the Anglican Communion; a fellowship within Christ’s One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church of those duly constituted Dioceses, Provinces, and regional Churches in Communion with the See of Canterbury, upholding and propagating the historic Faith and Order as set forth in the Book of Common Prayer.” (The Preamble of the Constitution of the Episcopal Church) We continue to pray for our brothers and sisters within the Anglican Communion on a daily basis through the Anglican Cycle Prayer. We continue our Companion Diocese relations. We continue to support the United Nations Millennium Development Goals which will positively affect millions of Anglicans. And we pray that all of our actions will help the bonds of affection within our Communion to be strengthened and healed, in order that Christ’s Church may be One, even as Christ with our Creator and the Holy Spirit are One.