The openly gay
dean of St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral in Seattle is among
five finalists, including another openly gay
candidate, for the position of bishop of the
diocese of California. If elected, the Very Reverend
Robert Taylor would become the second out bishop in the
Episcopal Church and the worldwide Anglican Communion to
which it belongs. Another finalist, the Reverend
Bonnie Perry, rector of All Saints' Church in Chicago,
is an out lesbian.
The denomination has been divided on the issue
of homosexuality, especially since the 2003 election
of the church's first openly gay bishop, V. Gene
Robinson, in New Hampshire.
"I feel just honored and humbled by the trust
and faith of the diocese in including me on their list
of nominees," said Taylor. He added that he hopes the
church will focus on issues other than gay clergy,
such as poverty, health care, and ministering to the larger society.
Taylor is known for his work on social justice,
community outreach, and interfaith efforts. He helped
fight against apartheid in his native South Africa,
which he left in 1980 with help from Nobel laureate and
Anglican archbishop Desmond Tutu.
Taylor, 47, has led St. Mark's Cathedral on
Seattle's Capitol Hill since 1999. During his tenure,
membership has risen from 1,900 to 2,400. He's served
as chairman of King County's Committee to End Homelessness
and is founding president of the Desmond Tutu Peace
Foundation, which raises money for Tutu's peace center
in Cape Town, South Africa. Taylor previously served
as rector at St. Peter Church in Peekskill, N.Y., where
the congregation grew from about 50 to 550 during his 11
years there.
The finalists to succeed the California
diocese's bishop, William Swing, were announced Monday
at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, where the
California diocese is based. In addition to Taylor and
Perry, candidates include the Right Reverend Mark
Handley Andrus, an assistant bishop of the diocese of
Alabama; the Reverend Jane Gould, rector of St. Stephen's
Church in Lynn, Mass.; and the Reverend Canon Eugene Taylor
Sutton, canon pastor at Washington National Cathedral
in the nation's capital.
Finalists will meet with members of the diocese
April 24-29, with the election May 6. The
bishop-elect is to be confirmed at the denomination's
national gathering in June. The diocese of California has
about 27,000 members in the Bay Area. (AP)
