A group of churches that split from the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh will appeal an Allegheny County judge’s ruling that allowed the diocese to retain control of more than $15 million in assets, officials said Thursday.
The Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh, composed of 51 local congregations in 11 Southwest Pennsylvania counties and led by Bishop Robert Duncan, said it will file an appeal once the court issues a final order directing the transfer of diocesan property.
To protect the 51 congregations under their care, Bishop Duncan and the Standing Committee could do no less. Thank God for courageous pastors like ++Duncan.
how is that any time conservative breakaway groups appeal and further litigations that they are praised as acting rightly, yet when the episcopal church tries to seek legal recourse to retain its property it is reviled as evil?
perhaps all along i should have been saying, “to protect the x [episcopal] congregations under their care, bishop y and the standing committee could do no less. thank god for courageous pastors like ++katherine.”
“courageous pastors like ++katherine?” Umm, no…..I don’t think so.
#2
The short answer is because the property isn’t “the episcopal church’s”. It belongs to the parishes, or at most, the diocese.
I imagine a majority in the ACNA diocese will approve, but it would be interesting to know how many of us have reservations. Protection of the faithful was achieved by the ecclesial act of realignment. Everything else is open to debate, as I have noted [url=http://catholicandreformed.blogspot.com/2009/10/open-letter-to-standing-committee-of_30.html]elsewhere[/url].
Well, at least the ACNA Pittsburgh Diocese is now more honest in its name! Not sure if that will help their case any though.
youngadult [2] – to protect the x [episcopal] congregations under their care, bishop y and the standing committee could do no less. thank god for courageous pastors like ++katherine.â€
She is not protecting “congregations” (ie PEOPLE) – most of the congregations here have chosen sides, so to speak. She is protecting (if you call it that) PROPERTY – she states that this is her FIDUCIARY duty – no people involved, just things.
+Bob’s aim has been, from the beginning, to provide for those congregations (remember – PEOPLE) who want to stay with TEC and enable them to keep the property that they have paid for and maintained for years and years. TEC’s aim is to claim that ALL YOUR PROPERTY ARE BELONG TO US – and to heck with the congregation (once again, we read PEOPLE here). What good would it do for KJS to have our church building, when none of us would attend? How is she caring for the PEOPLE?
As someone who’s not in this fight, I have an answer to:
“how is that any time conservative breakaway groups appeal and further litigations that they are praised as acting rightly, yet when the episcopal church tries to seek legal recourse to retain its property it is reviled as evil?”
The difference is in the way the sides act before the lawsuits. Duncan was willing to let the parishes that wanted to stay with the Episcopal church keep their own. The Episcopal church wants all the property. It’s not exactly equivalent.