Applause broke out after Gene Robinson, the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church; Barbara Harris, the first female bishop; and the other prelates together asked God to make Hollingsworth a leader in the church.

Then for a few shining moments, with his wife and four children gathered around him, Hollingsworth, 50, broke out in a broad smile and basked in the adulation pouring toward him throughout the Cleveland State University Convocation Center.

The conservative archbishops, who opposed the consecration of Canon Gene Robinson as Bishop of New Hampshire in November, said that they would not sacrifice their faith and conscience on the altar of money.

1. On the grounds of Christian love.
We believe Jesus clearly proclaims that the love of God calls us to holy
living, and that to go against, or to advise others to go against,
Jesus' call to holy living would be an offense against the law of love -
both love of God and love of our neighbours. The most loving action is
that which empowers a neighbour to grow closer to God. We see these
motions as hindering that growth in God's love.

The Diocese of Central Florida has always had a mechanism for redirecting funds from the national church. Following the national Episcopal Church’s General Convention 2003, the Diocese of Central Florida held a special convention to deal with the aftermath of controversial votes regarding human sexuality.