Irondequoit church, Rochester Episcopal diocese clash in state court over property

Lawyers for an Anglican church in Irondequoit and for the Episcopal diocese of Rochester differed before the state’s highest court Tuesday on whether an agreement made between the two parties carries the force of law in New York.

Nineteen years ago, All Saints Church signed a document that placed all of its property in trust for the diocese and the national church. The church has since separated from the national church because it disagreed with the ordination of a gay bishop.

Eugene VanVoorhis, a lawyer for All Saints, said the church doesn’t want to turn its property over to the diocese. “Ecclesiastical documents are not property documents,” he said in an argument before the state Court of Appeals.

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Posted in * Anglican - Episcopal, * Culture-Watch, Episcopal Church (TEC), Law & Legal Issues, TEC Conflicts

4 comments on “Irondequoit church, Rochester Episcopal diocese clash in state court over property

  1. BlueOntario says:

    An article link:
    http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20080910/NEWS01/809100334

    TEC Diocese of Rochester is currently allowing this congregation to use the All Saint’s property:
    http://www.trinitycommunion.org/index.htm

  2. BlueOntario says:

    A correction, I see that the diocese sold the property to Trinity Communion Church in June 2007. Why wait out appeals?
    See the Second Quarter 2007 newsletter, page 4.
    http://www.rochesterepiscopaldiocese.org/communications.html

  3. Brian of Maryland says:

    Thank you TEC for continuing to provide such an extraordinarily bad example of how Christians are to act in the world. With communion partners like you, who needs enemies of the Gospel …

    Brian
    ELCA Pastor

  4. LeightonC says:

    Gives new meaning to the word “trust.” Tis so sweet…