From the Office of Public Affairs of The Episcopal Church:
The Rt. Rev. Edmond Lee Browning, the 24th Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church, died on July 11, 2016. He was 87 years old and was living in Oregon.
Bishop Browning served as Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church 1986-1997. Bishop Browning’s election as Presiding Bishop in 1986 was seen as a reflection of the Church’s broadening diversity due to his extensive international and multi-cultural experience.
Bishop Browning hoped to encourage a growing awareness of diversity in the Church. He was well-known for his quote, “no outcasts in the church.”
Information on services is forthcoming. More information on Presiding Bishop Browning at Office of Public Affairs
When just-elected Presiding Bishop Edmond L. Browning said “there will be no outcasts” at the 1985 General Convention in Anaheim, Calif., he could not have known how those words would be held up as an emblem of his ministry. Throughout his 12 years as the 24th presiding bishop, Browning spoke and lived the theme of inclusion of everyone in the life of the church, according to a broad range of people who have been deeply involved in the church during his term.
Some have not been pleased with the implications — that every diocese must ordain women, that the church still must work to eradicate its own racism, that gay men and lesbians deserve the church’s blessing on their relationships and on their call to ordination.
But both his supporters and his opponents agree that Browning has never wavered.
Read more The Browning Years
Image: Episcopal News Service. President of the House of Deputies Pam Chinnis and Presiding Bishop Edmond Browning.
