The diocese does not ordain women to the presbyterate, As of 2006 it was one of only three dioceses in the Episcopal Church that did not ordain women to the priesthood; the other two were the
Diocese of San Joaquin, whose convention voted to secede from the Episcopal Church in December 2007, and the
Diocese of Fort Worth, whose convention voted in November 2008 to secede. In 2006, the Diocese issued a news release saying that it was "unwilling to accept the leadership" of Presiding Bishop
Katharine Jefferts Schori, and passed resolutions asking for "alternative pastoral oversight" and withdrawing consent to be included in
Province 5 of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. As a consequence, the long-term effect of these votes is unclear, as with similar cases in the
Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin and the
Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh; both of those two dioceses have split into two factions, with each faction claiming to be the legitimate succession of the traditional diocese. Neither secession nor annulment of accession is provided for by the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church. The Constitution and Canons of the Province of the Southern Cone allow only dioceses in the six southern nations of
South America, but the Province of the Southern Cone has agreed to accept realigning dioceses "on an emergency and pastoral basis". None of these three dioceses was listed as part of the Province of the Southern Cone by the Anglican Communion office. ==References==