Bishop Iker comments on action against Bishop Robert Duncan

In business sessions today in Salt Lake City, a majority of those present at the Episcopal Church House of Bishops meeting voted to depose the Rt. Rev. Robert Duncan as Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh. The vote tally is unnofficially reported as 87 yes, 36 no, 4 abstaining. Bishop Iker was not in attendance at the meeting, and he has issued the following brief comment:

In spite of the sham deposition of Bishop Robert Duncan by the TEC House of Bishops, he remains the formidable leader of traditional Episcopalians and loyal Anglicans in North America. Both in his role as Moderator of the Anglican Communion Network and as the lead Bishop in the Common Cause Partnership, Bishop Duncan continues to have the respect of a majority of the Primates and bishops of the entire Anglican Communion, including the Archbishop of Canterbury. In an effort to silence him, this action has only given him greater credibility as the leader of the realignment movement.

The Rt. Rev. Jack Leo Iker
Bishop of Fort Worth

Sept. 22, 2008

The Standing Committee of the Diocese of Fort Worth rejects the deposition by the House of Bishops of The Episcopal Church of the Bishop of Pittsburgh, Robert William Duncan. The unconstitutional and illegal interpretations of the Presiding Bishop and the use of the canons in ways that were never intended deprived Bishop Duncan of a fair trial.

Bishop Duncan is a faithful servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. We rejoice in Bishop Duncan’s admission to the College of Bishops of the Southern Cone, and we reaffirm our commitment to work with him as a bishop in good standing in the Communion.

The Very Rev. Ryan Reed, President
The Rev. Dr. Thomas Hightower, clergy member
The Very Rev. Christopher Cantrell, clergy member

Judy Mayo, lay member
Walter Virden III, lay member
Dr. Franklin Salazar, lay member

Forward in Faith deplores the deposition by the House of Bishops of The Episcopal Church of the Bishop of Pittsburgh, Robert William Duncan. Bishop Duncan is a faithful servant of the Lord Jesus Christ and a respected leader of faithful Anglicans both in and beyond The Episcopal Church. His summary deposition shows scant respect for due process and calls into question both the political wisdom and Christian charity of the Presiding Bishop. We welcome Bishop Duncan’s admission to the College of Bishops of the Southern Cone, and call upon all other orthodox bishops to assert their solidarity with him as a bishop in good standing in the Communion.

Bishop John Fulham, Chairman
Forward in Faith International
Sept. 19, 2008