toll collection

By Diogenes ( articles ) | Nov 08, 2010

Gene Robinson, the first openly homosexual bishop of the Episcopal Church, has announced his retirement at the age of 63. "The fact is, the last seven years have taken their toll on me, my family, and you," he told his flock. 

He might have added that the years have taken a toll on the worldwide Anglican communion, which has frayed to the breaking point since his installation. But being a family man, he mentions the home front first. The pressures, he reports, "have been a constant strain, not just on me, but on my beloved husband Mark...."

Oh, that family! And here we thought he was talking about his former beloved wife, and their two daughter! But no; it's been a long journey, and they probably paid their toll many miles back. 

(By the way, the Boston Globe reports that at the age of 63, Robinson is "nearly seven years shy of the mandatory 72-year-old retirement age. Maybe Anglicans have changes the rules of math, too.)