Schism threat casts cloud on Episcopalians

By Darrell Holland

Religion Editor

The Episcopal Church will disover next week at its general convention whether it is to become a permanently divided church.

The triennial business meeting f the denomination gets under way in Minneapolis next Saturday, confronted with the long-brewing uestion of whether to officially ermit women to become priests. The issue has stirred since 1974 shen 11 women were irregularly rdained priests in purported iolations of church law.

The 13-day meeting also will have to deal with other issues, and jome of them may prove to be as livisive.

For instance, the delegates of he 12.9-million-member denomination will vote on whether to apbrove revisions in the church's Book of Common Prayer in a move to update worship practices.

A New York bishop earlier this rear ordained an avowed lesbian s a deacon, the first order of ministry in the church, and delegates will be asked to ban the ordination of homosexuals.

They also will take a stand on bortion, a particularly sensitive question for Episcopalians, who have roots in Catholic tradition. The Episcopal Church often is considered a bridge church between Protestants and Catholics, and many Episcopalians disapprove of abortion.

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The version of the prayer book in use was adopted in 1928, but its oots can be traced to the early 16th century when it was written mostly by Thomas Cranmer to become the prayer book of the Church of England after its separation from Roman Catholicism, The American Episcopal Church sprang from the Anglican Church.

The opposition to both the prayer book revisions and to the acceptance of women into priesthood is organized, as are propoents of both.

Delegate counting in the meetIng's two legislative bodies, patterned much after the U.S. Congress, is about as intense as that which takes place in Washingon during crucial congressional yotes, or at the conventions of the bolitical parties.

There is little doubt that the House of Bishops, one legislative body, will approve of women briests.

About 150 bishops are expected to attend and 82 of them have pledged to support women priests.

Bishop John H. Burt of the Ohio Episcopal Diocese was one of the prime movers in the circulation of the statement to support female priests. He said 67 bishops have signed it and 15 others said they will vote to support women briests.

The bishops have voted at least three times by substantial majorities for the principle of priesthood for women.

Several bishops have said they will ordain some of the 120 women deacons under their jurisliction whether or not the convention gives its approval. Such moves would create havoc in the church.

Bishop Burt has been beset by controversy over women priests primarily because the Rev. L. Peter Beebe, formerly of Oberlin, and the Rev. Dalton D. Downs, rector of Emmanuel Church, Cleveland, have invited irregularly ordained women to celebrate communion. Charges were filed against the two priests, but later were dropped.

Bishop Burt said early in 1974 that he would resign as bishop if the convention does not approve female priests, an action he

strongly supports.

However, in the most recent Issue of "Church Life," the diocesan newspaper, Bishop Burt suggested that it might be wiser for the convention to permit those dioceses and churches to accept or refuse women priests at will. That would weaken the uniformity of the church, long a mark of

Episcopalianism.

In the House of Deputies, the

other legislative body, the approval of women priests is more in question. The deputies failed to

approve to lifting the male-only restriction in 1973.

The deputies are composed of 456 lay and 456 ministerial delegates from 114 dioceses. A majority of the diocesan delegations must approve for women to be accepted as priests, and tie delgation votes are counted no.

It is among the deputies that the most politicking is taking place.

Both the bishops and deputies must approve any measure officially adopted by the convention.

At question also is whether there will be a change in the church's canons, which wouldadmit women to priesthood immediately, or whether there will be a constitutional change, which would have to wait three years until the next convention to be finally approved.

Nothing has been more characteristic of the Episcopal heritage than the prayer book. Its admirers praise its stately language, sense of order and its Elizabethean English.

A Society for the Preservation of the Book of Common Prayer has been formed, whose members want to preserve the stately language.

Those who favor changes argue that the book has tended to be venerated too much for its style, consequently attention has been drawn from its message.

In order to become the church's standard prayer book, the proposed draft must be approved by this convention and by the next one in 1979.

Many observers, including many opponents of the changes, have conceded that this convention will give approval, and that the opponents best chance of defeating the changes will come in 1979.

One of the changes is in the liturgy for Good Friday, which some persons have charged reintroduces anti-Semitic language by suggesting that Jews were responsible for the death of Jesus.

Though the issue of women's ordination has evoked more explosive response, the prayer book question could have more long-range consequences because. the book is used in everyday worship.

Advocates of the revisions say language must be modernized to enhance understanding and that the new book can be more rapidly adapted to changing situations in the church and the world.

Other issues the convention will confront include world hunger, injustice and poverty, world peace, self-determination of developing nations and peoples, homosexuality and other sexual issues, housing and education.

Presiding Bishop John M. Allin, who is equivalent to an archbishop of the church, has taken a neutral stand on the women's priest issue and to some extent on the prayer book.

He has campaigned to deemphasize the controversies and to insure unity after the convention. Bishop Allin has asked both sides on the issues to "think twice before you say, 'If they do this or do that I shall leave the church.”

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He has been criticized frequently by the 13 women priests still in the church, and their supporters, for not endorsing their cause.

Each of the dioceses will have eight delegates in the House of Deputies, four clergy and four laymen.

The clergy from the Ohio diocese are Canon W. Ebert Hobbs of the diocesan staff; Dean Perry R. Williams, Trinity Cathedral, Cleveland; the Rev. Mr. Downs, Emmanuel Church, Cleveland, and the Rev. Phillip J. Rapp, St. Andrew's Church, Toledo.

The lay delegates are Marion Huston, Mentor; Paul Frank Jr., Akron; Sterling Newell Jr., Cleveland Heights, and Clarence W. Mixon, Cleveland.

The Ohio delegation, consistent with the action of the diocesan convention last February, will support women for priesthood, and probably the revisions to the prayer book.