Battle over church property in wake of same sex blessingsThe bishop of the diocese of New Westminster, Michael Ingham, said he was “saddened” by the news that breakaway members of four Anglican churches opposed to same-sex blessings have taken their battle over church property to the Supreme Court of Canada.
The group, which belongs to the Anglican Network in Canada (ANiC), filed an application for leave to appeal to the high court on Jan. 14.
Last November, the British Columbia Court of Appeal upheld a 2009 Supreme Court of B.C. ruling that the diocese should retain possession of four Vancouver-area church properties.
Bishop Ingham called the decision “costly and divisive,” and said it would “consume even more of the time, energy and money that should be used for the mission of the Church.” He said the “dispute” has caused the diocese to cut back on its ministry to patients of St. Paul’s and Vancouver hospitals, and its support for ministries involving churches in the north and overseas, with its partners in the Anglican Communion.
Cheryl Chang, special counsel to ANiC said that the decision to award the properties to the diocese “serves to defeat the religious purpose and results in the trust property being empty or underused.” Awarding the properties to the ANiC congregations “would mean that the original purpose of Anglican ministry would continue to be fulfilled in those church properties.” She added that the diocese “is in the process of closing and selling churches.”
In a statement, however, the diocese said it “wishes to move ahead with the resumption of Anglican Church of Canada worship as soon as possible” in the four churches still occupied by ANiC members. Bishop Ingham said he invited the trustees from each of the disaffected parishes to meet with him early this month to discuss an orderly transition, but that they declined to do so.