I did so because Jesus taught me to touch the lepers. As I come to the end of my ministry as your Presiding Bishop, I offer again the same challenge. My dear friends, the gospel is always the same. The imperatives don't change. The world changes.
New problems arise.
We don't choose how the world will be in any generation. We are just called to live the imperatives of the gospel in the context of the world as we find it, in this day, in our time, in our place. On that January day in Washington, I had no idea what I was really asking of you, of this church, or of myself. I had no idea what the personal cost would be to me, to Patti, and our family. I could not foresee how painful my challenge would be to some, and how empowering it would be to others.