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Judge rejects breakaway churches’ case

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January 12, 2012|By Michelle Boorstein

WASHINGTON - A Virginia judge has ruled against seven conservative congregations that broke away from the Episcopal Church in 2006, rejecting their contention that they should be able to keep valuable church property that the national denomination also claims.

The case has drawn worldwide attention because it involves a cluster of large, prominent churches with well-known conservative pastors and because the issues at hand - particularly the Episcopal Church’s continued acceptance of same-sex relationships as equal to heterosexual ones - are roiling much of organized religion. Various Protestant congregations, in particular, have wound up in litigation across the country.

The 113-page ruling was handed down Tuesday by Fairfax County, Va., Circuit Court Judge Randy Bellows. It was not clear whether the seven congregations would appeal. They are part of a movement called the Anglican Church in North America, and all believe that they, not the Episcopal Church, represent true Anglicanism on the continent.

If they decide to not appeal, the seven congregations would have to vacate their churches, including some of the largest and most prominent in the region. Among them are The Falls Church and Truro Church in Northern Virginia, where thousands of people worship.