By David W. Virtue
www.virtueonline.org
5/15/2009
Attorneys for the Episcopal Church filed yet another lawsuit supporting a motion in the Calvary Lawsuit asking the Allegheny County Court to make a declaratory judgment as to who is the "real" Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh and is thus entitled to oversee all its assets, property, and parishes.
The Episcopal Church is attempting to seize all the parishes and diocesan headquarters property arguing that Pittsburgh Bishop Robert Duncan has been deposed and is therefore not the rightful owner of diocesan assets.
The Diocese of Pittsburgh voted overwhelmingly to leave The Episcopal Church and affiliate with the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone. The Episcopal Church is challenging the legitimacy of that decision. The diocese has been reconstituted as the Diocese of Pittsburgh under the authority of The Episcopal Church.
According to a court filing which you can read here: http://tinyurl.com/qycv55
The lawsuit is an attempt to seize all of the property of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, as well as the diocesan headquarters and all churches that voted to separate under the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh.
David Booth Beers, The Presiding Bishop's attorney, also wants to remove the authority of the bishop and the local churches over their own property and church homes turning it all over to the reconstituted diocese which was setup by the Presiding Bishop's office.
The Presiding Bishop's action seeks to drive out parish rectors from their church homes, including Sunday School children. The lawsuit demands an accounting for every single item in the diocese and "to provide an accounting of all real and personal property of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh held on October 4, 2008."
The next scheduled hearing in the case is set for May 27, 2009 when lawyers for Bishop Duncan will file an answer to these charges.
END
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