She came, she saw, and she conquered – but only her disciples.

That’s my immediate impression of Katharine Jefferts Schori’s first Downunder tour at the end of June, surely the most ambiguous primatial visit in the history of this church.

In case you don’t know, Katharine Jefferts Schori is Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church of the USA, which has upset a good number of Anglicans by defying a Communion-wide moratorium on the election of bishops in same-sex relationships.

Even the impeccably mannered Archbishop of Canterbury is hot under his collar over the recent election of a lesbian priest, Mary Glasspool, as assistant bishop in Los Angeles – with the result that TEC has been deprived of a voice in ecumenical encounters on faith and order.

Bishop Jefferts Schori therefore has to choose carefully which doors to knock on whenever she travels abroad, despite the fact that she is still technically a bishop and primate in good standing.

Conservative provinces – especially in Africa – have always been no-go areas for women bishops, let alone liberal Americans. But now even Western provinces are growing cagey about their closeness to TEC for fear that the global fallout will rub off on them and contaminate their own houses.

This accounts for why Katharine Jefferts Schori’s six-day visit to these shores was shrouded  with caution. Was it an official visit? Or simply a holiday tacked on to an Australian encounter? No one in authority here was saying early on – although bloggers speculated wildly.

Some argued that TEC anticipated being thrown out of the Communion, and that the Jefferts Schori tour was therefore part of a strategy to cosy up to friends and build an alternative network of liberal provinces.

Others interpreted her presence here as a clear statement of New Zealand’s theological sympathies, and warned that we were courting the same ostracism that TEC faced.

Well, midway through the tour someone finally popped the question to the Presiding Bishop – and she responded that it was an official visit, following a personal invitation from a senior churchman here some time back.

However, don’t read liberal conspiracy into that. A goodwill visit to at least one other Anglican province every year happens to be part of her regular schedule, she told a group in Christchurch. And this year it was New Zealand's turn.

The fact remains, however, that she arrived at an awkward moment for this church – just as we were convening a national hui to flesh out the scriptures on human sexuality. The texts that divide, no less.

Initially it was thought that Bishop Jefferts Schori might even contribute to the hui, but this idea was shelved amid fears that she would inflame an already nervous gathering.

There were also vague threats of protest action by conservative clergy – especially if she was given an elevated platform to promote the liberal cause. So her itinerary was carefully framed, and media exposure tailored to minimize the potential for conflict.

Lavish hospitality

One man who did relish Katharine Jefferts Schori’s presence was Bishop John Gray, her host for the Christchurch leg of the visit. His little community of Te Hepara Pai was lavish in its hospitality, and Bishop John took obvious delight in helping to discomfit her detractors.

Bishop Jefferts Schori was equally lavish in her praise of this church, making a brave stab at Te Reo and saying that our three-tikanga model “has something to teach the Communion.” I guess she believes the same of TEC, although she was modest enough not to push it.

What she did stress about TEC was its missionary credentials, dating back to its beginnings as a missionary society.

“We’re seen as a church that causes trouble in the Communion,” she acknow-ledged. “But we can’t be what we’re not.

“We know that some parts of the Communion don’t agree with our views on sexuality. We’re still working out such issues ourselves.

“Lifelong, faithful, monogamous relationships matter to us. But we’re also concerned with issues of poverty, black self-determination, Millennium Development Goals… We’re focused clearly on mission!” 

Surprisingly, her Christchurch forum at Te Hepara Pai drew just a handful of Pakeha clergy – and then only those sympathetic to TEC.

Whatever you might think of TEC, it’s still a highly resourced and generous province with branches in 16 countries, not to mention projects in poorer nations of the Communion. So you’d have thought more clergy would be curious, to say the least.

In contrast, two non-church events in Christchurch – a conversation on the language of violence (at the Canterbury Women’s House) and a lecture on science and religion (at Canterbury University) – drew good numbers of laypeople across the spectrum.

So, why did so many clergy vote with their feet at the forum?

The fact of it being on a Monday – clergy day off – wouldn’t have helped. But a more plausible reason was TEC’s maverick status in the Communion, stemming from its disregard of the moratorium on same-sex bishops. Except that Bishop Jefferts Schori doesn’t believe that TEC has actually broken that moratorium. Well, not in legislative terms anyway.

“We haven’t done anything in (provincial) synod to violate the moratoria,” she told the Christchurch forum, arguing then that under TEC polity the Presiding Bishop was powerless to stop a gay consecration anyhow.

“We say in our canons that gays and lesbians are equal in discernment… My canonical responsibility is just to order the consecration.”

The real antipathy to TEC stemmed from “loss of power,” she added. “White men no longer rule…”

Some in the audience struggled to see the connection, wondering whether the answer also involved long-standing prejudices towards “the ugly American.” But she was already fielding another concern – from the Father of Liturgy.com, Bosco Peters – about the abandonment of shared disciplines, especially in worship.

“They enabled us to live together,” he noted. “Now we just tick boxes.”

Katharine nodded warmly, clearly of like mind.

“We live in anxious times, so people revert to holding the line,” she said. “Pastoral care of anxiety is an issue… There has to be a pull-back to incarnate community.”

Someone then asked how she felt about cross-border interventions.

The current tension between her and Archbishop Rowan Williams surfaced for an instant. “When I asked Rowan (about sanctions against cross-border bishops) I didn’t get an answer,” she said flatly.

We then queried how she handled the nasty stuff that some conservative bloggers directed at her. “I don’t read it,” she said, but a crumpling of the smile indicated otherwise.

Biggest disappointment

Most of those at the forum must have agreed with what she said, because the forum finished up without a dissenting voice. And thereby hangs perhaps the biggest disappointment of the Schori tour, expressed to me by a leading evangelical.

“Did we actually miss an opportunity for dialogue?” he mused. Somewhere during the visit, a small group of evangelicals would have appreciated the chance to sit privately with her and question TEC’s stance.

They did have their chance, but I’m sure Katharine Jefferts Schori would have relished such an intimate encounter – and given as good as she got. Physically, she looks to be as formidable as a runner bean, but those in the know say she has a backbone like a steel waratah.

Next time, more of us might be brave enough to put that to the test.