PARRISH – The Diocese of Southwest Florida will undergo a thoughtful, consultative process in the wake of the passage of AO49, entitled Authorize Liturgical Resources for Blessing Same-Gender Relationships.

“I’ve already informed the Standing Committee that if it passed, I will first meet with the Chancellor, then the Standing Committee, then with the priests,” said Bishop Dabney Tyler Smith.

The resolution that passed authorizes The Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music to review the liturgy in “I Will Bless You and You Will Be a Blessing” and allow its use in The Episcopal Church.

The General Convention of The Episcopal Church meets every three years to evaluate its own internal church laws, called canons. The vote on A049 was simply a continuation of discussions about liturgy that began at previous conventions. While the vote made national headlines, the Church itself was far more concerned with budget and organization, including possibly changing the entire structure of The Episcopal Church, which was founded in 1789.

“I voted no on the resolution and I want to be very clear that I was not voting no against people who love each other,” said Smith, who is Fifth Bishop of Southwest Florida, a diocese that extends from Brooksville in the north to Naples in the south.

While The Episcopal Church is one body and institution, each diocese is allowed latitude in how it responds to its congregations and priests. Some dioceses are already allowing parish priests to perform these blessings, however in Southwest Florida they are not permitted.

The resolution referred particularly to those dioceses where states, unlike Florida, have approved same-sex marriage, civil unions and domestic partnerships. It allows bishops “particularly in those dioceses” to have a “generous pastoral response” to this reality.

The representatives from Southwest Florida were not of one mind on the issue. In the Episcopal Church, the governance is divided between a House of Bishops and a House of Deputies, similar to the U.S. Congress. Bishop Smith was one of four of the five Florida bishops in the House of Bishops who voted against the resolution. However, some of the deputation that represents Southwest Florida was supportive of the new liturgy.

The motion in the House of Deputies carried by 78 percent in the clergy order, with the clergy in 85 deputations voting yes, 22 no and four divided; and 76 percent in the lay order, with laity in 86 deputations voting yes, 19 no and five divided, reported the Episcopal News Service. The bishops approved the resolution on July 9 with a roll call vote of 111 to 41 with three abstentions.

In contrast to past General Conventions, Bishop Smith said that the debate in the House of Bishops was constructive, peaceful, clear and helpful.

For instance, the bishops who were against the resolution were nevertheless allowed to amend it repeatedly. The liturgy was initially proposed as a “trial” usage. However, the wording was changed to “provisional” as a “trial” service carries a more official weight. Smith said that the word “provisional” is explicit about the reality that it is all under continuous review and the issue will be coming back to General Convention in three more years.

The 111 to 41 vote was not always indicative of each bishop's views about what will happen in their own respective dioceses.

“I find it interesting that I know diocesan bishops who voted yes, who are not going to allow blessings and diocesan bishops who voted no who are,” said Smith.

A paragraph was added that “no bishop, priest, deacon or lay person should be coerced or penalized” should they have conscientious objections to the service. In addition, every bishop and clergy person has the ability to decline to perform this liturgy.

However, with the changes, Bishop Smith felt there were problems with the resolution including one particular line in the resolution that authorized dioceses to adopt the liturgy in an open-ended way.

The idea is not new in The Episcopal Church, and was asked for at the previous General Convention in 2009. Discussions about this issue have been in the church for over two decades, said Smith.

“It was also clear to me that whether the resolution was adopted or not, it will still be before us at the next convention,” said Smith. “It’s not going to go away. We are talking about real people’s lives here.”

“The most important thing I want to say is that there are no enemies within the church,” said Smith. “We are struggling to deal with real issues and real people who God treasures.”