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29 June 2022
Dear Members of the Diocese of Central Pennsylvania,
In the days of the early Church, a device known as a “circular letter” was used as a means of offering encouragement and guidance to Christian communities working to remain faithful to the gospel of Jesus in trying times. Many of the epistles in our New Testament were written to specific communities struggling with particular problems, but the letter to the Ephesians (c.60-62) was penned as a circular letter to be read in several locations. The letter to the Ephesians emphasizes the individual’s transformation in Christ, the importance of relationship, and the promise of God’s abiding love and plan of salvation.
In recent days, I have found myself turning to Ephesians as a spiritual touchstone in these troubling times and I find myself drawn to writing my own “circular letter” (which, in our modern tradition, is called a “pastoral letter”) – a letter written by a bishop to her people.
I last wrote to our diocese at the end of May when, gathered with the deacons and priests of our diocese, we learned of the massacre at Uvalde, Texas. The clergy and I wrote a letter in response to the tragic shooting which claimed 19 young lives, the lives of two teachers, and the life of the young shooter. This event came on the heels of another massacre – a racially charged massacre- at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York. Since then, there have been 91 mass shootings in our country, including one last week in an Episcopal Church in Alabama which ended the lives of three individuals who had reached out in compassion, inviting a loner to sit with them at a potluck dinner. (https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/reports/mass-shooting).
In this month of June in which we commemorate Pride- the recognition and celebration of the belovedness of our LGBTQIA2S+ brothers and sisters- we have also seen violence and threatening protests mar the occasion of these liberating and affirming gatherings.
According to the group “Media Matters,” nearly a dozen Pride events across our country have been threatened or disrupted in this year’s celebrations, marking a substantial increase in aggressive activity targeting LGBTQIA2S+ people.
And last week, in an historic decision, the U.S. Supreme Court officially reversed Roe v. Wade, declaring that the constitutional right to abortion, upheld for nearly a half-century, no longer exists. This event initiated “trigger laws” in 13 states where the decision-making capacity now rests with the states legislating rights to abortions, bringing the total number, now, to 26 states that have some form of abortion ban. Many people have written to me this week to inquire about The Episcopal Church’s stance on reproductive health. Here is a summary: The Episcopal Church maintains that access to equitable health care, including reproductive health care and reproductive procedures, is “an integral part of a woman’s struggle to assert her dignity and worth as a human being” (a resolution from the 2018 General Convention of The Episcopal Church-D032). The church holds that “reproductive health procedures should be treated as all other medical procedures, and not singled out or omitted by or because of gender” (2018-D032). In a series of statements over the past decades, the Church has declared that “we emphatically oppose abortion as a means of birth control, family planning, sex selection, or any reason of mere convenience.” (https://www.episcopalchurch.org/ogr/summary-of-general-convention-resolutions-on-abortion-and-womens-reproductive-health/). The Episcopal Church sustains its “unequivocal opposition to any legislation on the part of the national or state governments which would abridge or deny the right of individuals to reach informed decisions [about the termination of pregnancy] and to act upon them” (2018-D032). And, as stated in a 1994 Act of Convention, the church also opposes any “executive or judicial action to abridge the right of a woman to reach an informed decision…or that would limit the access of a woman to safe means of acting on her decision” (1994-A054). You can find more information about the Acts of General Convention at https://www.episcopalarchives.org/e-archives/acts/
As a woman- mother, wife, grandmother- and a person of faith, I lament the erosion of opportunity for discernment and choice about women’s bodies and reproductive rights. I grieve for those who will be forced, now, to give birth to children born of abusive relationships, rape and incest, and I recognize with anger the injustice and hardship of the intersectionality of racism, economic hardship, and lack of access to safe medical treatment. I fear for those who will risk their lives as they seek illegal abortions. I support non-violent resistance efforts in our Commonwealth to maintain legal abortions. I believe that with the God-given gift of our lives comes the responsibility to discern and co-author our own stories, and to do so with care and compassion, with love of God, self and neighbor as our guiding principles.
Faithful witnesses of Christ’s love in this diocese: I am shaken by the divisiveness in our country right now. I see anger and fear at the heart of our discord, harsh dismissals of those with whom we have differing opinions, and deadly violence as a growing result of our societal dysfunction. We have lost the way of civil discourse, and the unity of our national identity has been rent.
My prayer is that each of us will draw on the faith that is our spiritual bedrock to inform our actions and influence a return to dialogue, respect, humility, and dignity in our country. As people of faith, we have the moral teachings of our tradition, the compassion and truth of a just God, and the power of the Holy Spirit to use for the healing of our nation.
We also have hope. We are a people who live in hope and who live in the confidence in the newness and fullness of life (BCP 860). Our God empowers and sustains us, and, when we use the strength of our baptisms to effect change in this world- restoring respect, and dignity and love- then we will, indeed know the completeness of joy and the peace of God.
In the past few weeks, we have initiated new efforts in the diocese that are focused on sensible gun legislation and advocacy, and this year we will have a presence at Pride festivals in three different locations in our diocese. Our work in dismantling racism continues, and we are soon to send a deputation to General Convention to take our place in the Councils of the Church. I am proud of who we are and who we are becoming, always growing and being transformed in Christ. May we heed these words of strength offered to the Ephesians, and now, to us:
I pray that out of his glorious riches God may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (Ephesians 3:16-21)
Beloved in Christ, please know of my prayers and affection for you, and know that I am grateful for your prayers for me.
In the Way of Love,
The Rt. Rev. Dr. Audrey C. Scanlan, XI Bishop |
