News for Week Ending 8/12/2013

Sydney elects new archbishop

The Rt. Rev. Dr. Glenn Davies, Bishop of North Sydney, was elected Archbishop of Sydney August 6, 2013, to fill the position recently vacated by the retirement of Archbishop Peter Jensen. (See Pittsburgh Update story here.) The evangelical Jensen has played a major role in the development of GAFCON and has served as General Secretary of the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans, which appears to be positioning itself as an ultra-conservative alternative Anglican Communion. Davies was pitted against the Rev. Canon Rick Smith, a Sydney rector favored by hardline conservatives in the diocese. Church Times covered the story August 9. The official announcement of the election results can be found here.

Breakaway parishes continue to appeal

VirtueOnline reported that St. James, Newport Beach, intends to file yet another appeal, this time to the May 1, 2013, court decision that awarded parish property to the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles. (See Pittsburgh Update story here. The final judgment of the Orange County Superior Court was entered July 23.) The breakaway congregation plans to vacate the property, as it is unable to raise the nearly $1 million bond needed to allow it to occupy the property as the appeal proceeds. The Los Angeles diocese described the current state of affairs regarding St. James here.

Meanwhile, on the opposite coast, the case against The Falls Church drags on. The breakaway congregation’s request for a rehearing from the Virginia Supreme Court’s having been denied—see Pittsburgh Update story here—the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia reports that the congregation is planning to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

South Carolina parties return to federal court

According to the Associated Press, Episcopal and breakaway South Carolina parties returned to federal court August 8, 2013. Both Episcopal bishop Charles vonRosenberg and deposed bishop Mark Lawrence were in Judge C. Weston Houck’s courtroom. Episcopalians have argued that Lawrence is claiming to be bishop but is not. Houck plans to rule in as soon as a week.

Fort Worth offers transition training

The Episcopal Diocese of Forth Worth, which, like Pittsburgh experienced an attempt to remove the diocese from The Episcopal Church, is offering transition training sessions for interested Episcopalians. According to a post on the diocesan Web site, the training is “in preparation for returning to the buildings after the [Texas] Supreme Court opinion is released.”

Annual PEP picnic scheduled for August 19

Progressive Episcopalians of Pittsburgh will hold its annual picnic in Firemen’s Park in Aspinwall on August 19, 2013. Everyone is invited. A flyer giving details of the event can be found here.