To the people of the Diocese of California,

While the decision by the California Supreme Court to uphold Proposition 8 has saddened many in the Diocese of California (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons, and all of us who support them) we as people of faith understand in a unique way that we are far from the end of this struggle.
Our sacred stories tell us of commitment in the face of oppression and opposition that stretches over generations: 400 years in Egypt for the Hebrew people, 400 years in America for African Americans. From these stories we have learned that God is faithful and that justice, in time, prevails.

The most import struggle, the quest for authentic human relationship comprehending one another in all our complexity, is one that cannot be achieved by judicial review or even by legislative means. It is the result of continuous commitment to the building of relationship and community. Such relatedness is at the heart of Christian mission. We in the Diocese of California have been, are currently, and will be committed to such mission. As with our brothers and sisters who felt the destructive effects of slavery and segregation, the women who continue worldwide to be second-class citizens, and the immigrants whose lives are disrupted once again by ICE raids, The Episcopal Church stands in solidarity with the disenfranchised.

As Grace Cathedral was glad to be the host of an interfaith vigil prior to the release of the California Supreme Court’s decision, The Episcopal Church will actively continue to be a place of prayer for all people, welcoming all to worship with us, to find their relationships strengthened, blessed, and integrated into a vibrant and loving Christian community.

Faithfully,

The Rt. Rev. Marc Handley Andrus