From VirtueOnline

PITTSBURGH: Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh to Petition for Rehearing before Appellate Court

Press Release
February 4, 2011

The Bishop and Standing Committee of the Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh have decided to petition the Commonwealth Court for a rehearing of the ongoing litigation with the local Episcopal Church diocese.

They also reaffirmed their commitment to work tirelessly to arrive at a reasonable negotiated settlement with the Episcopal Church diocese.

On February 2, the Commonwealth Court affirmed the previous ruling of the Common Pleas Court, which found in favor of the Episcopal Church diocese.

At stake for the Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh are the title deeds of 24 parishes which are held in trust by the Board of Trustees of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh and more than $20 million in endowment assets.

"The decision of the Appellate Court is deeply disappointing. We are hopeful that the court will grant a rehearing of our case.

We believe there is an error in the court opinion that, if corrected, would lead to the validity of withdrawal issue finally being adjudicated," said Archbishop Robert Duncan, bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh.

The Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh (http://pitanglican.org) unites more than 60 Anglican congregations in the greater Pittsburgh region.

The Diocese of Pittsburgh is a founding member of the Anglican Church in North America, which has nearly 1,000 congregations across the United States and Canada.

The Anglican Church is a province-in-formation in the global Anglican Communion.

The Most Rev. Robert Duncan is the archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America and bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh.

For more information or to schedule an interview with a diocesan representative, please contact David Trautman at (412) 427-2484 orcommunications@pitanglican.org .