Eight years of property litigation involving the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh has ended, but most parishes that broke from the Episcopal Church still face negotiations over their buildings.
After the Pennsylvania Supreme Court last week denied an appeal from the Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh, which had argued that it owned the property, the Anglican decided diocese it will not appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, spokesman David Trautman said.
“This whole string of litigation is ended, is done,” he said.
How very sad. Please lift up the good people of ACNA’s Diocese of Pittsburg, that they might be able to reach equitable arrangments with the TEC Diocese over purchase of facilities. And please keep San Joaquin, Ft. Worth, and of course, SC, in your prayers as well. Are there also suits pending in Quincy?
Dear Mr Miller,
Better yet, let the ACNA Dio Pittsburgh find other facilities for equitable prices. Leave the former ACNA church buildings with TEC, so the TEC coffers can be drained, as the faux diocese and national church try to figure out how to pay for them with fewer and fewer parishioners. That way TEC will have less money to continue its other lawsuits and abandonment of communion claims against the faithful.
Exactly!
If your brother demands your cloak, give him your shirt as well. Walk away and start over with nothing but the grace of God. That’s what everybody should have done in the first place.
Re # 4
Amen!
Nope — they were right to fight for their property in the far juster courts of law. The material world matters, and buildings matter, and property matters.
It is also an excellent testimony to the watching world about the utterly corrupt debacle that is the current leadership of The Episcopal Church. I do all in my power to inform pagans who are friends of mine about all of this and hopefully others are too. It’s a good way to witness to what is the truth of the Gospel, how current Episcopal leadership has offered a deformed and false gospel, and how Christians conduct themselves within a constitutional Republic.
Just to be clear, I am very proud of the Diocese of Pittsburgh for fighting as they did in the courts. They lost — sometimes justice is not done in the land — but they did their best and can be confident in their efforts.
Scripture says to shake the dust off your feet and walk away. TEC will have to put these buildings on the auction block because they will not be able to continue to run them, and perhaps will have to file for bankruptcy. The Anglican church can then come back in and get them cheaply.
Re # 8 & related
Scripture also expresses forbids suing one another. Unless someone can show me something that overrides a biblical injunction then that’s the final word AFAIAC.
RE: ” . . . forbids suing one another.”
Yup — those who believe the Gospel shouldn’t sue one another. Not certain what that has to do with anything here.
The true justice will come when TEC’s leaders stand before the Judgment Throne of God.
And you can take that to the banK!
They lost—sometimes justice is not done in the land—but they did their best and can be confident in their efforts.
Since when is the law about justice 😉
Sometimes the law accomplishes justice, sometimes not. They certainly got a better shot at justice with the secular courts then with the courts of TEC, so I’m glad they tried.
Prayers for the displaced in their new chapter. Speaking from experience, it is freeing, tiring, inspirational and draining – all of these contradictory things – to leave a beloved church structure and worship in some other place.
Montanan,
Speaking from my own experience, it is simply heartbreaking. Period. And Sarah, I’m with you. Buildings matter and there is no honor in abandoning consecrated space to the enemy without a fight.
@ Brian from T19 wrote: They lost—Since when is the law about justice wink
One day many years ago, when I was a young lawyer full of righteous indignation at losing a motion I felt that I should have won, a grizzled veteran of the bar told me, “In the next world, you get justice…in this one, you get the law.”
Kevin,
My father said that the longer he practiced law the more convinced he became that on any given day one would have just as much chance of justice being served by flipping a coin as by going to court.