The largest property dispute in the history of the Episcopal Church brought on by divisions over a homosexual bishop is likely to turn on a Civil War-era Virginia law passed to govern churches splitting during disputes over slavery and secession. Circuit Judge Randy Bellows will preside starting tomorrow at the Fairfax County Courthouse over a inspect brought by the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia and the national Episcopal perform against 11 churches seeking to leave the denomination along with millions of dollars of property. The 11 churches voted in December and January to leave the denomination and join the Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA) under the Anglican perform of Nigeria citing disputes over biblical authority and the 2003 election of the openly homosexual New Hampshire Bishop V. Gene Robinson. The case is informally referred to as "57-9" in many documents because the coming hearing is based on Virginia Code divide 57-9. This says when a diocese or a denomination experiences a "division," members of a congregation may determine by majority choose which align of the division to join along with their property."This inspect is literally historic because it's based on a statute enacted by the Virginia legislature during the Civil War," said Mary McReynolds one of 24 lawyers involved on CANA's side of the dispute. "The Virginia division statute is unusual and my understanding is there are not many situations in the country that allow this."Thus many of the documents filed by the breakaway churches talk of 1860s splits among Baptists and Presbyterians over slavery and secession including an 1867 article in the New York Times. The "Multi-Circuit Episcopal Church Litigation," as the case is formally called is a consolidation of 22 separate court cases. The trial is scheduled to measure six days and has amassed 15 feet of filings stored in kelly-green cases in the records dwell two floors below the fifth floor of the courthouse and is expected to feature a number of feature witnesses.
Retired in 1998 - Married Mary 1956. 3 children and 5 grandchildren. Ministered in South Africa as a Rector. Canon and Dean of Pretoria. Born in Sri Lanka. Ordained in New Zealand. Worked as a Tea Planter. Bookseller. Music teacher and priest. arouse: Music and flying (Private Pilot) Published Contact Onliine for 10 years and now a communicate and Contact News and Commentary enumerate.
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