Nine parishes in the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh yesterday decried efforts to meld biblically conservative dioceses into a new, non-geographical province.

The Rev. Dr. Harold T. Lewis of Calvary Episcopal Church in Shadyside and representatives of eight other parishes said recent decisions by Bishop Robert W. Duncan Jr. and the diocese's standing committee are "tantamount to leaving the Episcopal Church."

They issued a statement at a press conference refuting the June 28 decision to seek "alternative primatial oversight" for the diocese and the formation of a boundary-less, theologically conservative province.

"We believe that the proposed formation of a Province X ... is canonically and constitutionally irregular," the statement read. "We believe the request for alternative primatial oversight constitutes a rejection of the duly elected leadership and governing structures of the Episcopal Church."

The two issues are flashpoints in the church, both locally and nationally.

The Pittsburgh Diocese is in Province III, one of the national church's nine geographically organized provinces. The so-called Province X would bring together biblically conservative dioceses from throughout the country who believe the national church erred in permitting the confirmation of an openly gay bishop in 2003. Those dioceses are part of the Anglican Communion Network, an organization of about 200,000 biblically orthodox Episcopalians, less than 10 percent of the American church's membership. Bishop Duncan is its moderator.

The establishment of a new province would have to be approved at the church's next General Convention in 2009.

Already, several dioceses have asked for alternative oversight because of newly elected Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori's consent to gay Bishop V. Gene Robinson's consecration and her support of same-sex unions as Bishop of the Diocese of Nevada.

Bishop Duncan denied that the recent decisions, which must be approved at the diocesan convention in November, meant the diocese was no longer part of the national church.

"We have no plans to be anything but faithful, orthodox, Anglican-Communion-bound Episcopalians today, tomorrow and the day after that," he said in a statement.

"We are the Episcopal Church in this place and we are going to continue being what we have always been."

In the Pittsburgh Diocese, only 13 of its 72 parishes have publicly disagreed with Bishop Duncan and asked not to be part of the Anglican Communion Network. Nine of those 13 parishes signed yesterday's statement.

Dr. Lewis said there were no plans for legal action.

Yesterday's statement, he said, was to alert other parishes and individuals "where we stand and to provide a mechanism for them to join us."

In addition to Calvary, the other parishes signing the statement were All Souls Church, North Versailles; Church of the Holy Cross, Homewood; Church of the Redeemer, Squirrel Hill; St. Brendan's Church, Franklin Park; St. Matthew's Church, Homestead; St. Stephen's Church, Wilkinsburg; St. Thomas' Church, Canonsburg and St. Thomas & St. Luke's Church, Patton (Cambria County).

Their membership is nearly 2,700, about 13 percent of the diocese's total membership of 20,263.