SALT LAKE CITY — The Episcopal Church is meeting to elect a new presiding bishop at the religion’s conference in Salt Lake City.
The new national leader selected Saturday will succeed Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, who will complete her nine-year term on Nov. 1. She was the first female Episcopal presiding bishop.
More history could be made Saturday if they choose Bishop Michael Curry of the Diocese of North Carolina. He would become the first African-American presiding bishop in church history.
He is running against three other nominees: Bishop Ian Douglas of the Diocese of Connecticut, Bishop Dabney Smith of the Diocese of Southwest Florida and Bishop Thomas Breidenthal of the Diocese of Southern Ohio.
The Episcopal Church, with headquarters in New York City, has about 1.9 million members.