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Columbus, Ohio, June 18 --The Episcopal Church surprised itself today, electing the Rt. Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, the Bishop of Nevada, as its next presiding bishop. Schori is the first woman elected to the position, and will become the first female primate in the worldwide Anglican Communion. Jefferts Schori, who has never served as a rector and leads one of the Church's smaller dioceses, was considered a long shot, but she had impressed those who had worked with her on various Church committees, particularly the Special Committee on the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion, which has helped craft the Church's response to the Windsor Report.
Several bishops said before the election that they planned to vote for Jefferts Schori on the first ballot, but expected to move on to a more viable candidate on subsequent ballots. However, she claimed the lead immediately, and never relinquished it, eventually winning a close race with the Rt. Rev. Henry Parsley of Alabama on the fifth ballot, 95-82, with 11 votes going to other candidates. After the bishops' elected Jefferts Schori, her selection was overwhelmingly approved by the House of Deputies. In a “vote by orders” she received consent from 98 of 109 deputations of diocesan clergy and 94 deputations of diocesan laity. “I think the Church has spoken,” said the Rt. Rev. Jane Dixon, retired suffragan bishop of the Diocese of Washington who, along with the Rt. Rev. Barbara Harris, the diocese's assisting bishop, was among Jefferts Schori's strongest supporters.
“We want to celebrate the goodness of God's creation. Male and female he created them in the image of God,” Dixon said. In addition to being the Church's first female presiding bishop, Jefferts Schori is also believed to be the first presiding bishop with a Ph. D. in the sciences (oceanography) and a pilot's license. “She is brilliant. She is thoughtful. She brings clarity of vision... and she speaks Spanish!" said the Rev. Gay Jennings of the Diocese of Ohio, in supporting Jefferts Schori's election in the House of Deputies. A number of deputies pointed out how fitting it was that she was elected at the convention where the church celebrated the 30th anniversary of women's ordination. Deputy Sarah Lawton said she remembers in 1976 she was 10 years old when the General Convention endorsed the ordination of women. "I will be so glad to bring the news to my daughter who's almost 10 that the presiding bishop is a woman," said Lawton. John Vanderstar, of the Diocese of Washington said, “I rise to add another male voice to the chorus [of those speaking in favor of confirmation]. If you listen carefully, you will hear and I hope enjoy the sound of another glass ceiling being shattered.” Jefferts Schori's nomination was even supported by Blanca Echeverry, the wife of the Colombian Bishop Eduardo Duque-Gomez, who was himself a candidate. “She is a person who knows the Latin American Church,” said Echeverry, speaking through an interpreter. Only one person spoke against the confirmation. The Rev. Eddie Blue of Maryland said he was “shocked” and “saddened” by the vote from the House of Bishops, commenting on, "the peculiar genius our Church has for roiling the waters [of the Anglican Communion]." After her confirmation, referring to the six other candidates in the field, Jefferts Schori said: “I give thanks for all of my brother bishops who walked this journey with me... I would ask you to give thanks for their ministries.” Canon Kenneth Kearon, secretary general of the Anglican Communion, was in the House of Deputies when Jefferts Schori's election was announced. "Obviously I want to wish her well,” he said. “She seems a very capable person.” Kearon said he did not think the Episcopal Church's election of a woman as its primate would necessarily upset others in the Anglican Communion. “It would seem to me the primary issue is women in the episcopacy. The Episcopal Church has female bishops, so in that sense, this is not new." He said that he thought Jefferts Schori could be accepted by primates whose provinces do not believe women should be priests because, "being a member of the primates meeting is not a sacramental function." When asked about this issue at a press conference after her confirmation, Jefferts Schori said: “Face to face, human beings build relationships." “I will bend over backwards to build relationships with people who disagree with me,” she added. Jefferts Schori said that on her first voyage as chief scientist on an ocean-going vessel, the captain had resolved not to talk to her. His resolve lasted 15 minutes. “We got over it,” she said. “I think this is a grand adventure, a great opportunity to meet people form across the broad reach of this world.” When the Rev. Chris Sugden of the conservative British advocacy group Anglican Mainstream asked her how she thought average Anglicans, whom he described as predominantly young, poor, African and evangelical, would respond to the news that she had voted to confirm the election of the Rt. Rev. Gene Robinson as Bishop of New Hampshire in 2003, Jefferts Schori said she thought if Sugden's description were correct, the average Anglican was probably more interested in issues including hunger, inadequate housing, unclean water and limited access to education. At the conclusion of her news conference, Jefferts Schori introduced her husband Richard Miles Schori, a retired theoretical mathematician, her daughter Katharine, 24, a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force, and her son-in-law Aaron Miles. Like her mother, Katharine Miles is a pilot. Jefferts Schori will be installed as presiding bishop at Washington National Cathedral on November 4.
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In addition, Jefferts Schori, who gave portions of her acceptance speech in Spanish, had strong support among the Church's 12 women bishops and bishops from the province that includes parts of Central and South America and the Caribbean .