The Diocese of Central Ecuador narrowly approved a resolution authorizing the House of Bishops of The Episcopal Church to elect its diocesan bishop during the annual convention held Feb. 14 in Quito. The deciding vote was cast by the provisional Bishop of Central Ecuador, the Rt. Rev. Wilfrido Ramos-Orench.
 
“It was a movement towards health and wholeness in the diocese,” Bishop Ramos said. “Most people were pleased with the final outcome because it was the fruit of their decision-making in a democratic fashion that they were not used to.”
 
The House of Bishops is scheduled to meet March 13-18 at the Kanuga Camp and Conference Center in Hendersonville, N.C. It is expected that a slate of four candidates will be interviewed and one chosen during that meeting, according to the Rt. Rev. Clayton Matthews, executive director of the Presiding Bishop’s Office of Pastoral Development.
 
“It will be a simple majority vote and all bishops entitled to vote will vote, not just bishops with jurisdiction,” Bishop Matthews said.
 
Central Ecuador is one of 10 international dioceses of The Episcopal Church. Its former diocesan bishop was deposed from the ordained ministry of The Episcopal Church by the House of Bishops for financial irregularities and abandonment of communion in March 2004. Bishop Ramos was appointed provisional Bishop by the House of Bishops in 2006 and announced his intention to retire in February 2008. He served as Bishop Suffragan of Connecticut from 2000-2006.
 
In October, the diocesan standing committee announced a slate of five candidates for an election of a diocesan bishop that was to be held on Dec. 20. The election process stalled, according to Bishop Ramos, and he cancelled the election after some members of the diocese objected to the fact that the slate of nominees did not contain any native Ecuadorians.
 
“Some people felt that they had been intentionally excluded,” Bishop Ramos said. “It was not the case at all, but that was how it was interpreted.”
 
Honoring the search committee’s work is important, Bishop Ramos said.
 
“They did a fine job; the quality of the candidates is excellent,” he said. “If the House of Bishops wants to expand it [the slate] it’s up to them, but if any of the candidates are elected I would feel very good about them.”
 
Bishop Matthews who added that it is doubtful that additional nominations will be made during the meeting because “any election would be held up doing background checks.” The slate for March is the same as the one announced in October with the exception of the Rev. Thomas Mansella, translation services coordinator for the Office of Communications of The Episcopal Church, who has withdrawn.
 
Title 3, Canon 11, Section 1(b) of the Constitution and Canons of the General Convention of The Episcopal Church specifies that “In lieu of electing a bishop, the convention of a diocese may request that an election be made on its behalf by the House of Bishops of the province of which the diocese is a part, subject to confirmation by the provincial synod, or it may request that an election be made on its behalf by the House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church.”
 
Episcopal News Service contributed to this report.
 
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