The Bishops’ Health Care Tour

Jeff Walton
September 22, 2009

This week I am in New York City, attending the Governing Board meeting of the National Council of Churches. The ecumenical council has the usual flurry of political pronouncements on the agenda: repealing gun owners’ rights, eliminating the U.S. nuclear arsenal (an observer might think the NCC was joining in on the retro 1980s trend) and of course, a government takeover of the health sector.

In this last respect, the NCC is joined hand-in-hand with the Episcopal Office of Government Relations (OGR), which last week welcomed several Episcopal bishops to the nation’s capital. Part of a lobbying effort aimed at increasing support for the Administration’s health care proposals, the bishops’ group (known as “Bishops Working for a Just World”) met with elected officials to promote many of the radical policy positions approved of by General Convention this past July.

Diocese of Newark Bishop Mark Beckwith was a member of the group, as was Diocese of Rochester Bishop Prince Singh. Both bishops hail from revisionist dioceses: Singh gained notoriety during General Convention for equating the disapproval of practicing homosexuals to the persecution experienced by the disenfranchised ‘untouchable’ caste in his native India, while Beckwith represents arguably the most liberal diocese in the church.

Interestingly, Singh chose on Tuesday to detour from his planned heath care lobbying and join an interfaith prayer vigil against “hateful rhetoric in the immigration debate”. While immigration policy has been on Congress’ back burner for some time now, religious left forces are always eager for a chance to somberly opine that racism looms over everything.

“Anti-immigration groups and those in opposition to health-care reform have brought immigrants into the debate to further their agenda,” Ana White, immigration and refugee policy analyst in the Office of Government Relations, told the church’s official Episcopal Life publication.

The OGR has faced significant changes over the past two months, with chief lobbyist Maureen Shea taking early retirement last month, and Director of Advocacy Rev. Canon Brian Grieves set to retire this month. The search for a replacement to fill the new combined position has been indefinitely suspended.

As always, Anglican Action will continue to monitor and report upon the political activities of church officials that seek to lobby elected officials in your name. Next week I’ll have coverage of the NCC’s meeting, along with a look forward at some Middle East events led by Anglicans.