Rest in Peace…. Please

The Diocese honored and laid to rest the Rt. Rev. Ronald H. Haines today at St. James’, Lancaster, but not before the local media had a chance to take one last whack at him. The problem, so far as we can tell, is the result of an articulate obituary by Washington Post staff writer Matt Schudel that was apparently picked up, very badly edited, and transmitted without attribution by the Associated Press wire service. Local papers in Philadelphia, Harrisburg, and York, dutifully picked up the story and ran it, mostly as-it-was.

While Bishop of Washington, DC, Bishop Haines ruffled a number of feathers by agreeing to ordain a candidate for Holy Orders who was gay. The year was 1991, which, especially in today’s instant message world, makes the item decidedly Old News.

To be sure, editors walk a very fine line when crafting obituaries about famous or controversial figures. What to include? What to omit? You can browse an unexpectedly articulate discussion about which goes where at GetReligion.com here.

That post contains a sentence that caught my eye: Referring to coverage of the turmoil in the Anglican Communion, the author says, “The key is that hard issues are not avoided.” A propos, I would say, because that is also one of the hallmarks of Anglicanism. It has the strength and pliability to confront the hard issues, and it has historically done so by compromise, accommodation, and often by agreeing to disagree.

Bishop Haines was a faithful priest and bishop, and he sought to be a messenger of that faith in the most authentic way he knew—by “seeking God in all persons” and by conduct that sought to widen the circle of the faithful, not limit it. He did not require that his colleagues do the same, nor did he condemn those who disagreed with him. What his wife thought about the matter or what his children did later in life doesn’t materially change the story of who this man was, and so it has no place in an obituary.

A comment to the aforementioned blog post hits the nail on the head when its author says, “…now is hardly the time to go into [an analysis of Episcopal Church politics]. As the Trappist monks say: Now he knows more theology than all of us.”

Send us Your Photos!

The theme of this year’s Diocesan Convention is “Celebrating Global Anglicanism and Local Mission.” To help with Convention planning, we need your assistance. Tell us what mission means to your parish. Is it a local food bank? Is it a youth group trip to help a neighbor down the street or in another state? Is it supporting your sister parish in Sao Paulo? Or supporting a program somewhere else in the world?

Bishop Baxter has asked parishes to send us photos (with a description, please), illustrating a mission in which they are involved. We would prefer to receive good-sized, digital images, but smaller files will also be usable for this project. If you have photos you’d like to share—or know someone who does---please email them to tidings@diocesecpa.org along with caption information. Be sure to mention the name of your parish; it isn’t always obvious.

Thank you for your assistance.