Bishop Geralyn Wolf has told a priest who professes to be both a Christian and a Muslim that she is “not to exercise any of the responsibilities and privileges of an Episcopal priest or deacon” for the next year. The case of the Rev. Ann Holmes Redding had become a cause célèbre among conservative bloggers, but was largely ignored by the mainstream media.
In an email to her diocesan clergy, members of the diocesan council and the standing committee, Bishop Wolf wrote:
As many of you know, The Rev. Dr. Ann Holmes Redding is an Episcopal priest who has recently professed her faith in Islam. Dr. Redding is canonically resident in the Diocese of Rhode Island, though she has not served here for over twenty years.
After meeting with her I issued a Pastoral Direction giving her the opportunity to reflect on the doctrines of the Christian faith, her vocation as a priest, and what I see as the conflicts inherent in professing both Christianity and Islam. During the next year she is not to exercise any of the responsibilities and privileges of an Episcopal priest or deacon. Other aspects of the Pastoral Direction will remain private.
I am sending this e-mail to you because the continued web-site coverage suggests that I be as clear as possible with those exercising leadership in our diocese.