Homophobia - how to win friends and influence people?  In the case of Pittsburgh's Episcopal Bishop Duncan, that seems to be the situation as the Russian Orthodox Church has offered to restore ties with those US Episcopal Churches that oppose gay ordination (365gay.com)

You recall the scenario ...

Pittsburgh Bishop Robert Duncan has been at the forefront of U.S. dioceses which oppose gay clergy. He is moderator of the Anglican Communion Network, a group of 10 U.S. dioceses representing more than 900 parishes and about 200,000 Episcopalians.

The Pittsburgh diocese and others asked for a new overseer of the Episcopal church after the June election of Nevada Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori as presiding bishop. Schori supported Robinson's consecration and has approved same-sex blessings. She is to be installed as head of the U.S. church Nov. 4.

We've touched on the Russian Orthodox homophobia here at PghLesbian before.  You may recall that they teamed up with skinheads to violently assault gay Russians trying to stage a Moscow Pride march.  From May 2006:

Organizers of a weekend LGBT conference say they intend to march on Saturday despite the ruling. The conference has attracted gay leadership from throughout Europe.

Russian Patriarch Alexy II has denounced the planned festival and parade, and the leader of Russia's Muslims has called for a "violent mass protest" if gay leaders go ahead with Pride celebrations. 

Sounds like quite the spiritual leadership team

And another report from a member of the German Parliament who was assaulted when he participated in the Pride Parade.

Around 100 religious and fascist extremists dressed in black kicked and punched gay activists. ?Moscow is not Sodom!? shouted a group of Russian women clutching religious icons.

Does this mean we are going to have hordes of well-heeled Episcopal women clutching their Books of Common Prayer and teetering alongside next year's Pride Parade in their Mahnola knock offs and shaking their well-manicured fists in our direction?  Cause that would be an interesting site.  I'm fairly sure the PFLAG moms could take them. 

I'm just as sure that "Pittsburgh is not Sodom" would not catch on as a new city slogan, but I could be wrong. 

Bishop Duncan had to send off a letter acknowleding that some of the Anti-Gay-Episcopal Network ordain women to determine if that's a barrier to reunification.  If the Patriarch says that it is, I wonder what they'll do --- transfer all the women to New Hampshire?