From The State
By John Monk
A S.C. Circuit Court judge ruled Tuesday that the Diocese of
South Carolina that withdrew three years ago from the national
Episcopal Church can keep more than $500 million in church property.
By John Monk
A S.C. Circuit Court judge ruled Tuesday that the Diocese of
South Carolina that withdrew three years ago from the national
Episcopal Church can keep more than $500 million in church property.
The
parishes have been at the center of a dispute between the diocese and
The Episcopal Church since Bishop Mark Lawrence broke away from the
national church in 2012, taking 36 parishes with him.
They filed a
lawsuit in 2013 that affected more than $500 million in physical
property including some of the nation’s most historic and renowned
church buildings, among them St. Michael’s and St. Philip’s in the heart
of downtown Charleston. The 46-page opinion issued by Judge Diane S.
Goodstein follows a three-week trial last summer.
The dispute,
which is mirrored in other dioceses around the country, centers on
interpretation of theology, including the national church’s willingness
to approve the ordination of a gay bishop and the approval of a blessing
rite for same sex couples.
Lawrence had earlier pushed for
resolutions that gave the diocese, founded in 1785, sovereignty over the
younger national church, a move that many saw as the first step toward a
split with The Episcopal Church.
“This has never been about
exclusion,” Lawrence said in a statement released after the ruling. “Our
churches, our diocese are open to all. It’s about the freedom to
practice and proclaim faith in Jesus Christ as it has been handed down
to us. We’re ready to move forward and grateful for Judge Goodstein’s
handling of the case.
A spokeswoman for the Episcopal Church in
South Carolina said Tuesday night she had just received the order and
was reviewing it. The Episcopal Church in South Carolina was formed from
congregations who refused to exit the national church with Lawrence. It
remains part of the Worldwide Anglican Communion.
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