Schori’s election comes at a difficult time for America’s 2 million Episcopalians, when some conservative dioceses are threatening to split from the U.S. church over the 2003 consecration of a gay bishop. But Schori is tough, and her apparent steadiness amid conflict helped win her the job. “I will bend over backwards to build good relations with those who do not agree with me,” she said after her election. A former oceanographer who flies small planes for fun, Schori is already expert at defying expectations.
