"We continue to be committed to God's commission together even though there [are] certainly some members of the Anglican Communion as there are some members of the Episcopal Church who disagree with decisions by various bodies either in this church or in others."
Diversity is a blessing, she made clear on Wednesday, and her goal as presiding bishop is to help others recognise that.
"I've been clear from the very beginning that I think a big part of our challenge in the current age is to recognise that we are a multicultural church in many different ways – in terms of nationality and language, in terms of gender and orientation, in terms of socioeconomic status, in terms of educational level – and to value that diversity, to see it as a blessing and not something to be criticised or avoided," she said in response to a question on the primary goal she wants to achieve by the end of her nine-year term.
While controversy in the US Episcopal Church has largely involved issues of sexuality, Jefferts Schori pointed to the reality faced by their brethren in other parts of the world.
"It's amazing how much of the conversation tends to change when one of the conversation partners is really dealing with life and death issues," she noted. "It is a luxury in many parts of the Episcopal Church to talk about challenging issues of difference from a theoretical level.
"When the issue is of starvation, of war, of life-threatening disease ... people who disagree about some hot button issues usually discover that they have an awful lot more in common than they thought and that what they have in common is about serving the image of God right in front of them."
The Episcopal leader drew attention to the Philippine Independent Church – with whom they are in full communion with – and the extrajudicial killings of ministers in recent years. Two lay leaders, a bishop and two priests were assassinated and church leaders are hoping the new administration there will respond to the injustices.
Meanwhile, there is fear in Sudan that violence will be renewed in the months leading up to the January referendum that will determine whether Southern Sudan will become an independent state, she noted.
And in the United States, the immigration issue remains unresolved. Jefferts Schori expressed support for finding ways for people to come to the United States to work, for reuniting families, and for regularising the immigration status of those who came illegally.
Jefferts Schori is the first female presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church. She was elected in 2006 and serves as primate of Episcopal members in 16 countries.
