A. S. Haley analyzes Jeff Lee’s latest shakedown effort the Episcopal Organization’s most recent attempt to find additional real estate to flip the latest Episcopal lawsuit against the Anglican Diocese of Quincy. The Curmudgeon has a logical mind and spots a glaring contradiction right out of the gate:
No one appears to have actually read the complaint before filing it. Otherwise, how could they have let this contradiction pass? In paragraph 2, they allege (my emphasis added):
In 2013, this plaintiff [Diocese of Chicago] became the successor by merger to the Diocese of Quincy of the Episcopal Church, which until that time was a separate subordinate and constituent unit of the Church and an unincorporated association with its principal office in Peoria, Illinois. Unless otherwise specified, the term “Episcopal Diocese” used herein shall refer to the Diocese of Quincy before it merged with plaintiff Episcopal Diocese of Chicago.
Then, in paragraphs 74 and 75 they allege(again, my bold):
… that the Episcopal Diocese and its Parishes and Missions remain subordinate and constituent parts of the Church and the Episcopal Diocese for all purposes …
… that the defendants take the position that they are properly in control of the governance of the Episcopal Diocese …
So, which is it? Is the Episcopal Diocese of Quincy defunct, or not? Did it merge into the Diocese of Chicago in September 2013 as alleged, or does it continue to “remain [a] subordinate and constituent part of the Church for all purposes”?
The hits just keep on coming.
And how can the plaintiffs allege with a straight face (paragraph 3) that “Defendant Alberto Morales … holds himself out as Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese”??
He most certainly does not; Bishop Morales is the diocesan of the Anglican Diocese of Quincy, which is as far from the Episcopal Church as one can get and still stay sane. (And please note, once more, how they refuse to name the entity they want to take over—the Anglican Diocese. Instead, they sue the people who hold office in it.)
We all know the real answer to this question but what do the Episcopalians hope to gain from this lawsuit? This.
(c) declare that the defendants do not hold any offices or positions of authority of the Episcopal Diocese or any of its Parishes and Missions and are not the directors or officers of the Illinois not-for-profit corporations called The Diocese of Quincy and The Trustees of Funds and Property of the Diocese of Quincy;
Which no longer legally exists.
(d) declare that the directors and officers of the Illinois not-for-profit corporations called The Diocese of Quincy and The Trustees of Funds and Property of the Diocese of Quincy are those persons elected by the Synod of the Episcopal Diocese and recognized as such by the Church and the Episcopal Diocese;
Which no longer legally exists..
(e) declare that the clergy and lay officers and other leaders of the Parishes and Missions of the Episcopal Diocese are those elected or appointed pursuant to the Constitutions and Canons of the Church and the Episcopal Diocese and are recognized as such by the Church and the Episcopal Diocese.
Which no longer legally exists.
Undeterred by Judge Ortbal, [TEO is] asking a different judge in a different county of Illinois to decide what he held a civil court cannot decide, without becoming too entangled in First Amendment matters of how people exercise their religion. Good luck with that.
One would hope. Here’s what Jeff Lee had to say aboutTEO’s attempt at legalized theft this lawsuit.
“In our society, we invest a great deal of energy in an impartial legal system designed to help parties settle matters about which they cannot agree,” said the Rt. Rev. Jeffrey D. Lee, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago. “Although we are prepared to litigate this matter, ultimately we still hope that God will use even these legal proceedings to bring us to a place of reconciliation and mutual respect in Christ.”
Translation: right now, we have way more money than you do, bitches, and we’re backed by a “church” whose guiding principle is “We’ll start serving God once we get the mammon stuff squared away.” So do the math.
Nothing the Episcopal Organization says or does surprises or shocks me any more. They are who they are. An idolatrous, money-grubbing pack of largely-secular leftists to whom terms like “Jesus” or “God” or “the Holy Spirit” are nothing more than professional jargon.
But it still grates when people like Jeff Lee say things like, “Although we are prepared to litigate this matter, ultimately we still hope that God will use even these legal proceedings to bring us to a place of reconciliation and mutual respect in Christ.”
The Episcopal definition of “reconciliation” is when you agree that you’re wrong and I’m right. So when he says stuff like that, I know that Jeff Lee’s lying through his teeth.
No one appears to have actually read the complaint before filing it. Otherwise, how could they have let this contradiction pass? In paragraph 2, they allege (my emphasis added):
In 2013, this plaintiff [Diocese of Chicago] became the successor by merger to the Diocese of Quincy of the Episcopal Church, which until that time was a separate subordinate and constituent unit of the Church and an unincorporated association with its principal office in Peoria, Illinois. Unless otherwise specified, the term “Episcopal Diocese” used herein shall refer to the Diocese of Quincy before it merged with plaintiff Episcopal Diocese of Chicago.
Then, in paragraphs 74 and 75 they allege(again, my bold):
… that the Episcopal Diocese and its Parishes and Missions remain subordinate and constituent parts of the Church and the Episcopal Diocese for all purposes …
… that the defendants take the position that they are properly in control of the governance of the Episcopal Diocese …
So, which is it? Is the Episcopal Diocese of Quincy defunct, or not? Did it merge into the Diocese of Chicago in September 2013 as alleged, or does it continue to “remain [a] subordinate and constituent part of the Church for all purposes”?
The hits just keep on coming.
And how can the plaintiffs allege with a straight face (paragraph 3) that “Defendant Alberto Morales … holds himself out as Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese”??
He most certainly does not; Bishop Morales is the diocesan of the Anglican Diocese of Quincy, which is as far from the Episcopal Church as one can get and still stay sane. (And please note, once more, how they refuse to name the entity they want to take over—the Anglican Diocese. Instead, they sue the people who hold office in it.)
We all know the real answer to this question but what do the Episcopalians hope to gain from this lawsuit? This.
(c) declare that the defendants do not hold any offices or positions of authority of the Episcopal Diocese or any of its Parishes and Missions and are not the directors or officers of the Illinois not-for-profit corporations called The Diocese of Quincy and The Trustees of Funds and Property of the Diocese of Quincy;
Which no longer legally exists.
(d) declare that the directors and officers of the Illinois not-for-profit corporations called The Diocese of Quincy and The Trustees of Funds and Property of the Diocese of Quincy are those persons elected by the Synod of the Episcopal Diocese and recognized as such by the Church and the Episcopal Diocese;
Which no longer legally exists..
(e) declare that the clergy and lay officers and other leaders of the Parishes and Missions of the Episcopal Diocese are those elected or appointed pursuant to the Constitutions and Canons of the Church and the Episcopal Diocese and are recognized as such by the Church and the Episcopal Diocese.
Which no longer legally exists.
Undeterred by Judge Ortbal, [TEO is] asking a different judge in a different county of Illinois to decide what he held a civil court cannot decide, without becoming too entangled in First Amendment matters of how people exercise their religion. Good luck with that.
One would hope. Here’s what Jeff Lee had to say about
“In our society, we invest a great deal of energy in an impartial legal system designed to help parties settle matters about which they cannot agree,” said the Rt. Rev. Jeffrey D. Lee, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago. “Although we are prepared to litigate this matter, ultimately we still hope that God will use even these legal proceedings to bring us to a place of reconciliation and mutual respect in Christ.”
Translation: right now, we have way more money than you do, bitches, and we’re backed by a “church” whose guiding principle is “We’ll start serving God once we get the mammon stuff squared away.” So do the math.
Nothing the Episcopal Organization says or does surprises or shocks me any more. They are who they are. An idolatrous, money-grubbing pack of largely-secular leftists to whom terms like “Jesus” or “God” or “the Holy Spirit” are nothing more than professional jargon.
But it still grates when people like Jeff Lee say things like, “Although we are prepared to litigate this matter, ultimately we still hope that God will use even these legal proceedings to bring us to a place of reconciliation and mutual respect in Christ.”
The Episcopal definition of “reconciliation” is when you agree that you’re wrong and I’m right. So when he says stuff like that, I know that Jeff Lee’s lying through his teeth.
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