Episcopal bishops join conservative ‘network’

Episcopal bishops join conservative ‘network’

PITTSBURGH — At least 11 Episcopal bishops have officially joined a fledgling “network” of conservative dioceses and parishes to oppose their church’s approval of an openly gay bishop.

The new Network of Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes will be headed by Bishop Robert Duncan of Pittsburgh, and coordinated by the Washington-based American Anglican Council.

Organizers say the network already has the blessing of 16 of the 38 member churches in the Anglican Communion, of which the Episcopal Church is the United States branch. “We’re not leaving, we’re not separating ourselves,” Duncan told The New York Times. “What we trust is going to happen is that the rest of the world and the rest of the Christian community are going to bring such pressure to bear on the whole of this church that it steps back from this event.”