A209 Reunification with La Iglesia Episcopal de Cuba
Resolved, the House of ________________ concurring,
That the 79th General Convention expresses its joy at the request of the community of La Iglesia Episcopal de Cuba (IEC) to reunite our two bodies and welcomes the prospect of restoring the relationship between The Episcopal Church (TEC) and IEC; and be it further
Resolved, That the 79th General Convention laments the actions of the House of Bishops of The Episcopal Church in 1966 that led to the precipitous and painful separation of these two bodies; and be it further
Resolved, That TEC and IEC seek to employ God’s justice to confront our shared brokenness, and to equip and empower our efforts toward healing, wholeness and reconciliation for generations to come; and be it further
Resolved, That the 79th General Convention desires complete reunification of IEC with TEC; and be it further
Resolved, That the 79th General Convention expresses our deep regret that structural and constitutional issues prevent the realization of our fullest expression of reunification at the 79th General Convention; and be it further
Resolved, That the 79th General Convention expresses our eagerness to share a future in which TEC is informed by the extraordinary circumstances surrounding IEC that have produced widespread and empowered lay leadership, as well as resilient and creative clergy, with an exceptional missional skillset and a heart for evangelism that is essential for future health and vitality of the Episcopal Branch of the Jesus Movement.
Explanation
In 1966, with the effects of the Cuban Revolution and the political response of The United States, the House of Bishops of The Episcopal Church voted to separate the Diocese of Cuba from The Episcopal Church leaving it an autonomous diocese without a provincial home. Prior to that time, in 1961, Episcopal Schools in Cuba had been closed and appropriated, and many clergy and their families were displaced. Some remained in Cuba; some either returned or immigrated to the United States. Some clergy who remained in Cuba were imprisoned, executed, or disappeared. Church buildings were closed and left to deteriorate. The church was polarized politically, and its clergy and lay leaders suffered. But the Church continued, in the living rooms of the grandmothers, who held prayer services and Bible Studies in their homes. Through them is transmitted a story of pain, and of faith. Under the leadership of more recent Cuban Bishops, including Bishop María Griselda Delgado del Carpio, the people have devoted themselves to the vision of a missional church. Innovative projects are evolving that benefit the need of the local communities: creating day care centers, inventing irrigation systems that help with sustainable farming, developing animal husbandry to raise and tend to animals to help feed communities. La Iglesia Episcopal de Cuba has, through its own synods, expressed a clear desire to reunify with The Episcopal Church. Episcopal Church canonical and constitutional issues do not make a clear pathway evident. This resolution expresses regret for the historic separation and expresses the 79th General Convention’s intention to work for reunification.