bishop

Two bishops at the heart of the U.S. Episcopal Church's divisions over sexuality and scripture will not be invited to next year's global gathering of Anglican prelates, the archbishop of Canterbury's office in London announced Tuesday. Bishop V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire (pictured) and Bishop Martyn Minns of the breakaway Convocation of Anglicans in North America were not among more than 850 bishops invited.

A moderate Episcopal Church leader, the Reverend Jeffrey Lee, was elected the 12th bishop of Chicago at the diocese convention on Saturday over seven other candidates, one of them a lesbian priest. In a statement distributed to the more than 500 delegates before the vote, Lee said he wanted to keep a conversation going with conservatives on the issue of gay clergy. But he also said he has stood for ''the full inclusion of gay and lesbian people in the church.'' ''He would be perceived as someone who is qualified for the job but not polarizing as other candidates might have been,'' said the Reverend Canon Mike Stephenson of the diocese of Chicago.

V. Gene Robinson, whose consecration as the first openly gay Episcopal bishop has brought the world's Anglicans to the brink of schism, said Tuesday that the Episcopal Church should not give in to demands by the Anglican Communion that it roll back its acceptance of gays.

Gay Episcopal bishop V. Gene Robinson is back on the job after spending a month receiving treatment for an alcohol problem.

In an e-mail written from a treatment center, the Episcopal Church's first openly gay bishop, V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, said he is receiving treatment for alcoholism.