The Episcopal Diocese of Virginia and a group of 11 conservative breakaway congregations wrangled yesterday over ownership of the historic Falls Church, a 276-year-old congregation that until two years ago was one of the crown jewels of the denomination.
During the trial at the Fairfax County Courthouse, witnesses said the Northern Virginia church near the intersection of Lee Highway and Leesburg Pike has been overseen by its own trustees since 1746, when John Trammell, a local landowner, deeded 2 acres to build a church.
A group of Colonists, including George Washington’s father, had been meeting since about 1732 at the spot that today has several brick buildings – one dating from 1769 – and a historic graveyard.
TEC and the Diocese of VA are clearly grasping at straws, desperately trying to complicate and prolong this trial in order to drive up the legal costs for the breakaway churches and thus intimidate other churches from even thinking about leaving TEC. But in the process, the current administration of TEC at the national level is only making themselves look foolish and tyrannical. I trust Judge Bellows will see through the legal shenannigans of the TEC lawyers, as he has all along, and render a fair and sound decision that will stand up under appeal.
Unfortunately, Julia Duin several times repeated a mistake in calling the CANA churches that have left TEC part of the “Anglican DIOCESE of Virginia,” when they instead choose to use the language of the Anglican DISTRICT of VA. Well, at least for now, anyway. That’s uncharacteristic, as she is usually very well-informed and careful in her reports. Or perhaps it was an editor that messed it up after she submitted her story. But otherwise, it’s a good and impartial report.
It sounds like it might have been an interesting day in court, though a little trying on everyone’s patience, going through the minutiae of very old legal and church records, when common sense would suggest that TEC has no valid claim here at all. Christ Church, Alexandria has NEVER imagined it had any claim on the property of the Falls Church, or invested a penny in it.
It’s good to know that the final decision is not far off now, sometime after Nov. 10th, the judge has announced. So we don’t have much longer to wait.
David Handy+
Why doesn’t Julia Duinn acknowledge her own vested interest in this whole matter? While the Times is never one considered to be objective, it is a bit silly for her to proclaim to be.
Judge Bellows has shown a very refreshing judicial manner of cutting through the smog DioVA and TEC have been trying to pass off as “legal reasoning.”
While I wish Ms. Duin had not missed the terminology for the ADV her reporting seems to be accurate on the whole. Of course, for the “My TEC, right or wrong, my TEC” crowd anything less than the full embrace of the 815 line is anathema. Of course, they can always fall back on the soporifical reporting of the WaPo or the NYT if the WT gives them the vapors.
So 815 grasps for straws (or shadows of straws) in Virginia even as it blocks scrutiny of its stewardship of the Church Pension Fund and other trust funds.
Considering how loosely ECUSA plays with scripture, doctrine, and canons, there’s no telling how loosely ECUSA has played with trust funds. Just imagine what a forensic accountant might find.
Irenaeus (#4),
As usual, I fully agree with you. As the Windsor Reports noted four years ago, this crisis is, at the international level, all about the fact that TRUST HAS BEEN BROKEN between provinces, and the whole Windsor Process (including the Covenant) is supposed to be focused on how can trust be restored enough to re-establish “communion” where it has been broken or impaired.
But, of course, trust has also been broken WITHIN provinces too. And when lawsuits are filed against orthodox parishes, clergy, and lay leaders by 815, and when the national administration of TEC categorically refuses to disclose how it is exercizing its stewardship of the funds entrusted to it, stonewalling completely on that score, that not only fails to rebuld trust, it actually undermines trust further, and naturally and inevitably so.
Bottom line: I HAVE NO TRUST WHATSOEVER in the leaders of TEC. Zip. Zilch. None. Nada. I don’t think the Pb or DBB have any integrity of any kind. I regret to say that, but it’s true. And yes, I wouldn’t regard criminal misuse of trust funds as unthinkable at all for them. Not at all. They have clearly and consistently acted as if the end justifies the means. Any and all means.
David Handy+