Whoa, talk about suspense. Last we heard, the Rev. Mary Glasspool, who lives in Annapolis and works for the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland, was ahead of five other candidates in the race for a suffragan bishop position with the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles. You might remember that if elected, she’d be the second openly gay Episcopal bishop to be chosen after New Hampshire Bishop V. Gene Robinson so expect lots of fury to erupt from parts of the Anglican Communion that feel the US Episcopal Church continues to go off the deep end on this issue.
Some 800 delegates meeting at the Riverside Convention Center had already elected one female bishop earlier in the day Friday; by mid-afternoon they had started balloting for the second spot.
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Now a priest needs 132 clergy votes and 202 lay votes to win. Mary Glasspool, who has been open about the fact she lives with a female partner in Annapolis, led the field with 113 clergy and 143 lay votes in the first ballot. In the second, she got 128 clergy votes and and 170 lay votes. Then the assembly cast their third ballot just before 5 p.m. and then retired for the night.
“I would not be surprised if she was elected on the third ballot,” a priest who was at the gathering told me tonight. One potential problem for her: a Hispanic priest: Irineo Martir Vasquez, was running a strong second to Mary Glasspool on that second ballot so it may be a duel to the finish starting 9 a.m. Pacific time on Saturday. Here is the Los Angeles Times story about the woman who won the first suffragan bishop spot Friday afternoon. We’ll be posting the results Saturday afternoon and of course running a story Sunday in our print edition so stay tuned.
- Julia Duin, religion editor
