Bishop Douglas Theuner of New Hampshire, who serves on the bishops committee of the CPF, said the committee recommended rejection because the General Convention cannot change rules for a body like the CPF, which must answer to regulatory bodies of the state in which it operates. This has been a perennial concern of the CPF, added Bishop Maurice Benitez, retired bishop of the Diocese of Texas and a pension fund trustee. Clergy who serve their entire careers in small congregations and who have lower compensation end up having lower pensions because the pension formula is based on earned income.
Clergy serving in large or wealthy parishes generally receive larger pensions.
The disparity remains a top priority for the CPF's benefits committee, which has partly addressed the issue by establishing a minimum pension level, Benitez said. We will continue to address it in every way we can. The only bishop speaking for the resolution was Bishop Leopolde Frade of Honduras, who argued the reality is that many clergy are suffering from inequity in pension benefits. This resolution was adopted yesterday by the deputies. Concurrence by both the bishops and makes these resolutions final convention actions.