![The Diocese of Florida was blocked from ordaining the popular Rev. Charlie Holt after the majority of bishops and standing committees refused to approve him over concerns he is not woke enough. [Screenshot Youtube DioceseFL]](https://images.dailycaller.com/image/width=960,height=411,fit=cover,f=auto/https://cdn01.dailycaller.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Screenshot-2023-07-23-at-9.48.07-AM-e1690120145424.png "The Diocese of Florida was blocked from ordaining the popular Rev. Charlie Holt after the majority of bishops and standing committees refused to approve him over concerns he is not woke enough. [Screenshot Youtube DioceseFL]")
The Episcopal Diocese of Florida was blocked from installing the reportedly popular Rev. Charlie Holt as its bishop coadjutor after the majority of bishops and standing committees refused to approve him over concerns he is not woke enough.
Holt was slated to be ordained after he won both a May and November 2022 election to succeed Bishop John Howard, who was retiring, according to Episcopal News Service. Holt was denied, however, after the canonically mandated 120-day consent period passed and leaders raised concerns over Holt’s past statements regarding LGTBQ+ and racial issues, according to the report.
“We know this news will evoke many responses, especially among the delegates who voted for Charlie Holt, those who have worked hard to obtain consent to the election and those who objected to it. Certainly, this is a crucial moment in our life together as a diocese, and yet we are assured every week as we gather at the Lord’s Table that we are living members of the Body of Jesus Christ,” the standing committee said. “We are then sent out into the world to love God and love each other. In keeping with these beliefs, we are asking that you please join us in praying for our diocese and for one another. We also ask that you pray for the Holt family as they find a way forward that looks very different from the one they had planned.” (RELATED: ‘Spiritual Wickedness’: Religious Leaders Melt Down Over SCOTUS Ruling Overturning Race-Based Admissions)
Today marks the conclusion of the 120-day period during which the Episcopal Church’s standing committees and bishops with jurisdiction were asked to consent to the election of the Rev. Charlie Holt as bishop coadjutor of our diocese.
— Diocese of Florida (@DioceseFL) July 21, 2023
Members of the community expressed concern over past comments by Holt in which he said he views marriage as between a man and a woman, a perspective reportedly shared by Howard himself. Holt later said he would permit the marriage of same-sex couples, according to the report.
Holt also came under fire after he said he was surprised to have been invited to speak at a black church in 2012 in protest of the Trayvon Martin killing, report continued.
Holt’s May electoral victory was challenged over questions of procedural issues, prompting an investigation by a church-wide Court of Review. This led to the committee holding the second election in November, according to Episcopal News Service. Holt once again won the election in November, prompting some members to argue there was a pattern of anti-LGBTQ discrimination during Howard’s time as bishop and that therefore the pool of delegates was skewed toward conservatism.
The Florida Standing Committee had to include the Court’s review in its report, according to Episcopal News Service. A majority of members voted “no” to confirming Holt and, as such, bishops would be invited “to serve our diocese by presiding at confirmations, ordinations and other pastoral offices,” according to the committee.