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PUERTO RICO: Episcopal Bishop Escalates Persecution of Orthodox Clergy

PUERTO RICO: Episcopal Bishop Escalates Persecution of Orthodox Clergy

By David W. Virtue

PONCE, PR. (12/10/2004)--Frustrated in his efforts to eviscerate a number of orthodox Anglicans who have left his diocese over pansexuality, the Episcopal Bishop of Puerto Rico, David A. Alvarez, has been working overtime to persecute orthodox Anglicans who have left his diocese.

He has inhibited and deposed a number of priests for not caving into his views on pansexuality, particularly homosexual behavior, and now he is trying to stifle a start up Anglican Mission in America parish and the regrouping of orthodox Anglicans on the island by doing a mass mail, making telephone calls, offering himself for radio presentations and other, more intrusive, practices.

The Rev. Dr. Dennis Paris has been one of his main targets since the priest who is also a university professor and author, wrote a book condemning the Episcopal Church's position on homosexuality and was tossed out of the church by the bishop.

Paris wrote to VirtueOnline and said the bishop was ratcheting up the pain by doing everything he could to see that the formation of a new AMIA parish on the island would not get off the ground.

"Our new missionary community of ex-Episcopalians - the Mission of St. Peter and St. Paul, in the city of Ponce, - is currently going through the process of affiliation with the AMIA. The group is scheduled to be received into the AMiA on Sunday December 12, by the Rt. Rev. Alexander M. Greene. Their leading pastor the Rev. Luis Morales, who was fired from his job as chaplain at St Luke’s Episcopal Hospital and deposed for not changing his moral views to suit the revisionist Bishop will be received at that time. With him to be ordained will be the Deacon Humberto Nieves."

"The group had requested the facilities of Christ the King (Cristo Rey) a Roman Catholic Church, in Ponce, for their reception and ordination service and had been granted permission to use the church by the Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Ponce, one Rt. Rev. Monsignor Felix Lázaro Martínez, SCH.P. Five days before the scheduled ordination the Rev. Morales received news that the Catholic Bishop would not lend the facilities of Christ the King for the ordination service. The explanation given to the AMiA priest was that Bishop Alvarez had sent a letter to Bishop Lázaro Martínez to stop the ordination and reception of these faithful Anglicans. Invitations, newspaper ads and radio announcements had already been used to promote the service, but it was to no avail. The Roman Catholic Bishop made the decision to comply with Alvarez’ request."

"On top of this some of the people of the Mission of St. Peter and St. Paul, as well as their Episcopal friends that had been invited to the ordination, received phone calls threatening them with excommunication if they participated in the Sunday service."

"We quickly moved to have the reception and ordination scheduled at Bishop Corson United Methodist Church, in the city of Ponce. We did not change anything," said Paris.

"Bishop Greene will go ahead with the planned service at the request of these orthodox brethren, who will not stand down. If we find we have been rejected by everyone we would, as a last resort, held the ordination service in one of the beautiful public parks of this historic city, where Anglicanism first began in Puerto Rico."

The new parish will be under missionary Bishop Green for oversight and pastoral care, under the bigger umbrella of Archbishop Emmanuel Kolini of the Province of Rwanda and Archbishop Yong Ping Chung of the Province of South East Asia.

"We will have a faithful witness to the gospel with this bishop in the Anglican tradition on this island. Make no mistake about it, we will suffer for our faith, we will not be deterred or put off by Bishop Alvarez or anyone else. God will be glorified on Sunday. Bishop Greene has promised oversight and pastoral care to these battered brothers and sisters and to all orthodox Anglicans in Puerto Rico, who wish to remain in the faith and continue to be Anglicans," he told VirtueOnline.

On that occasion the Mayor of the city of Ponce will honor Bishop Greene for his service with a proclamation and the keys to the City of Ponce.

END

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