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Hearing Scheduled for Albany Bishop

The Albany Times-Union reported last week that a Hearing Panel will be convened on April 21, following Bishop William Love’s refusal to allow same-sex couples to be married in his diocese.

In a letter addressed to his diocese earlier this week, Love said the hearing will be held at the Desmond Hotel April 21. A start time has not been given, but Love said he expected the hearing to start mid-morning and last a few hours.

… Last January, the Episcopal Church placed Love on restriction, forbidding him from penalizing anybody who performed same-sex rites.

A spokesperson for Episcopal Diocese of Albany said Friday that Love was traveling overseas and would not have further comment about the disciplinary hearing.

“I want to thank all of you who have been holding me and my family and the Diocese of Albany up in your prayers these past many months,” Love wrote in his message earlier this week. “It is greatly appreciated. Whatever the outcome of the Hearing, I pray God’s will and purpose will be accomplished.”

In that somewhat brief letter to the diocese, Bishop Love further explains that,

It is alleged by the Intake Report and Investigator’s Report that I have “violated Canon IV.4.1(c) by failing to abide by the promises and vows made when he [I] was ordained, specifically the Declaration he [I] signed at his [my] ordination as bishop in which he [I] promised to ‘conform to the doctrine, discipline, and worship of The Episcopal Church.’”

The above charge is the result of my unwillingness to abide by Resolution B012, passed by the 79th General Convention of the Episcopal Church, which if followed, would allow for same-sex marriages to occur in the Diocese of Albany.

… In accordance with the Canons, the Hearing is “open” to the public however, under the control and direction of the Hearing Panel. Space will be limited. While the exact starting time has not yet been released, I anticipate it will begin by mid-morning and will most likely take only a few hours. Both sides have agreed that there are no contested facts regarding my actions and neither side will be presenting witnesses. Instead, the attorneys will be making arguments as to what the canon law requires.

The Cafe’s previous coverage of Bishop Love’s actions is available here, here, and here.
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