An overflow crowd of Episcopalians gathered at Virginia Theological Seminary last night and clashed with bishops and lay leaders of the Diocese of Virginia over the recent election of an openly homosexual bishop.
Hundreds of parishioners from around Northern Virginia, the most conservative part of the 86,527-member diocese, crammed into an auditorium at the Alexandria seminary.
Those who disagreed with the ordination outnumbered supporters by a 4-1 ratio among attendees who got the chance to speak.
"People are up in arms and outraged about this decision," said Bruce Mason, a spokesman with the American Anglican Council, which organized a protest vigil before the meeting....