The Episcopal Church in South Carolina and the Episcopal Church did not contest the restraining order that kept anyone but the separated diocese to use the name and logos “Diocese of South Carolina,” so the temporary injunction is now permanent.
Bruce Smith reports for the AP and Chron.com:
Goodstein issued a temporary restraining order last week that only the diocese could use the name. She had scheduled a Friday court hearing in Columbia to hear arguments as to whether the order should be made permanent.
But the attorney representing The Episcopal Church and the 19 parishes and six worship groups remaining with the church in the eastern part of the state, did not contest making the order permanent, so the hearing has been canceled.
Those churches are calling themselves The Episcopal Church in South Carolina. Representatives of those parishes held a convention in Charleston last weekend where the Right Rev. Charles Glenn vonRosenburg was installed as a bishop to shepherd their group.
Either side could ask for a later hearing on the injunction. The property issues will likely still have to be resolved in court hearings that could take years.