The Witness on Bishop Duque of Columbia

The Witness has asked Louie Crew to interview the candidates for Presiding Bishop and he was able to ask the same question of Bishop Francisco Duque that he had asked the other candidates. Bishop Duque answered in Spanish. The second to last of these questions was,

“What do you value the most about the Episcopal Church?” Bishop Duque responded,

“La elección de los obispos. El Libro de Oración Común. La Sagrada Escritura como fundamento de la Doctrina, Disciplina y Culto. La no discriminación para las órdenes sagradas en razón de raza, sexo, orientación sexual, condición social, origen étnico... La democracia, que permite la participación tanto de clérigos como de laicos. La apertura a lo nuevo. La constante evolución. La expresión multiétnica y pluricultural.”

It is an important list. In my rough and ready translation, he said,

The election of the bishops (the process… to which he had earlier spoken).
The Book of Common Prayer.
The Holy Scripture as the foundation for Doctrine, Discipline and Worship.
Nondiscrimination for Holy Orders in regard to race, sex, sexual orientation, social status, ethnic origin...
The democratic idea, that as much allows both clergy and lay participation. The openness to the new.
Constant evolution.
Multiethnic and pluricultural (multicultural?) expression.

Well, his list looks pretty good to me, and he has clearly practiced living into that list. Earlier in his answers he was able to talk about how he changed from voting no on Bishop Robinson to later ordaining a gay person in Columbia. He spelled out clearly that he would abide by the democratic processes of the church and that “if a gay or lesbian person is elected bishop,” and assuming the consents came in , that he would indeed act as chief consecrator: “como Obispo Presidente y Primado, seré el consagrante principal.”

I can only vaguely imagine the candor and honesty it takes for Bishop Duque to have responded so clearly, and more so simply.

Read the whole of this interview HERE.