Lionel Deimel, a lay person in the Diocese of Pittsburgh who is opposed to efforts to realign the Episcopal Diocese and remove it from the Episcopal Church, and perhaps from a connection with the Archbishop of Canterbury, has posted his analysis of the latest filing by that diocese in response to a lawsuit brought by one of the congregations.
The lawsuit was brought by Calvary Church in Shadyside and calls upon the court to act to protect the assets of the Episcopal Church in Western Pennsylvania which are being claimed as belonging to the bishop and his corporation rather than to the larger church. The lawsuit claims that in so doing the bishop has violated his responsibility to protect those assets on behalf of the whole diocese.
From Lionel’s analysis:
“A worrisome statement appears on page 6: ‘If and when TEC takes action against Bishop Duncan, the Bishop will determine whether to challenge that act as a violation of the Canons of TEC and/or a denial of due process.’ The House of Bishops should take note. (See also below.)
The defendants dismiss both the need for a monitor and the court’s ‘inherent authority’ to appoint one. The answers to a number of paragraphs of Calvary’s filing read as follows: ‘Denied. Paragraph nn sets forth legal arguments and conclusions to which no response is required. If and to the extent a response is required, the allegations are specifically denied. See also the New Matter [where defendants make their own argument].’”
Read the full article here, where you can find a much more detailed of the claims that are contained in the filing.