The suffragan bishop of the Diocese of Dallas spoke with the Corsicana Daily Sun about a legislator’s bill that would override the Dennis Canon. The bishop did not come out against the bill.
As reported by the Daily Sun:
“We’ve had five break away,” said The Right Rev. Paul E. Lambert, Bishop Suffragan of the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas. “We allowed them to keep their property in two instances, and in the third instance they didn’t want the property, but they wanted to rent it back with us. “We’ve dealt with it pastorally instead of legally,” Lambert said.
An internal Episcopal law called the Dennis Canon states that all parish property is held in trust for the diocese and the national church. “We’ve always held that we uphold the constitution and canons of the Episcopal Church,” Lambert said. “We may not agree with the Dennis Canon, but it is part of the constitution and canons. It has to play out to see whether or not the bill passes, and if it trumps the canons of the Episcopal Church.” “It’s an interesting concept, though, to be sure,” Lambert added.
Read it all. The reporter has developed the story along other dimensions as well.
See The Lead’s earlier story on the bill: Prominent Dallas priest asked Texas legislator to change property law