Will the Episcopal Church have its first African-American presiding bishop?
| SALT LAKE CITY
聽The聽Episcopal聽Church聽plans to elect a new presiding bishop Saturday at the religion's conference in Salt Lake City.
The new national leader will succeed Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, who will complete her nine-year term on Nov. 1. She was the first female聽Episcopal聽presiding bishop and the first woman to lead an Anglican national聽church.
The 80-million-member Anglican Communion is a worldwide body of聽churches, including the U.S.聽Episcopal聽Church, with roots in the聽Church聽of England.
More history could be made Saturday if they choose Bishop Michael Curry of the Diocese of North Carolina. He would become the first African-American presiding bishop in聽church聽history.
He is running against three other nominees: Bishop Ian Douglas of the Diocese of Connecticut, Bishop Dabney Smith of the Diocese of Southwest Florida and Bishop Thomas Breidenthal of the Diocese of Southern Ohio.
The聽Episcopal聽Church, with headquarters in New York City, has about 1.9 million members and is known for its history as the faith home of many Founding Fathers and U.S. presidents.
About 9,000 Episcopalians are in Salt Lake City for the General Convention, which runs through Friday. The assembly held once every three years includes legislative meetings where bishops, priests and lay people vote on resolutions that set the course for the next few years.
Earlier this week, they began reviewing聽church聽policies on alcohol and addiction as part of a churchwide soul-searching over a Maryland assistant bishop charged in the drunken-driving death of a bicyclist.
Next week, they will decide whether they should eliminate gender-specific language from聽church聽laws on marriage so religious weddings can also be performed for same-sex couples. Right now, each bishop is allowed to decide whether his or her priests can conduct gay marriages. The proposal before the convention would allow clergy to decline to perform the ceremonies.
The new presiding bishop will take charge at a time when fewer Americans are formally affiliating with a particular religious group, contributing to steady membership declines in the聽Episcopal聽Church聽and other liberal Protestant groups, as well as some conservative聽churches.
Membership in the聽Episcopal聽Church聽has dropped by 18 percent over the last decade. Next week, the General Convention will consider restructuring聽church聽bodies and redirecting spending to more effectively reach out to the public.
The denomination has emerged from a period of turmoil after the 2003 election of Bishop Gene Robinson, the first openly gay bishop in the Anglican Communion. Many聽Episcopal聽conservatives left or distanced themselves from the national聽church聽after his election.
For the election, the House of Bishops will meet privately in the city's聽Episcopal聽cathedral to vote, and the results will be presented for approval to the House of Deputies, the convention body comprising clergy and lay people.
