SUPREME COURT-EPISCOPALIANS
Court declines to take up Episcopal Church dispute
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has declined to wade into a dispute between the Episcopal Church and a conservative Virginia congregation that left the denomination over theological differences, including the 2003 consecration of an openly gay bishop in New Hampshire.
The justices on Monday rejected an appeal from The Falls Church, one of seven Virginia congregations that broke away from the Episcopal Church in 2006 and aligned itself with the more conservative Anglican Church in North America.
The breakaway congregation in suburban Washington, D.C., claimed a right to keep the church building and surrounding property. But the Virginia Supreme Court ruled that the Episcopal denomination retained ownership of the historic church.
More than 2,000 members of The Falls Church Anglican now meet in schools and other churches that have opened their doors. An Episcopal remnant uses the old property.
Sound:
240-a-11-(The Rev. John Yates, rector of The Falls Church Anglican, in AP interview)-“odd to us”-The Rev. John Yates, rector of The Falls Church Anglican, says he’s surprised that the Episcopal Church was awarded ownership of his congregation’s former home. (10 Mar 2014)
< 241-a-14-(The Rev. John Yates, rector of The Falls Church Anglican, in AP interview)-“results to God”-The Rev. John Yates, rector of The Falls Church Anglican, says his congregation is moving forward. (10 Mar 2014) < 238-w-32-(Steve Coleman, AP religion editor, with the Rev. John Yates, rector of The Falls Church Anglican)–The Supreme Court has declined to wade into a dispute between the Episcopal Church and a conservative congregation that left the denomination in a rift over homosexuality and other issues. AP Religion Editor Steve Coleman reports. (10 Mar 2014) < 239-a-10-(The Rev. John Yates, rector of The Falls Church Anglican, in AP interview)-“lost that too”-The Rev. John Yates, rector of The Falls Church Anglican, says the Episcopal Church now owns his congregation’s historic property. (10 Mar 2014) < GAY MARRIAGE-METHODISTS Methodists end minister’s NY same-sex wedding case NEW YORK (AP) — A United Methodist bishop has dropped the case against a retired minister accused of breaking church law by officiating at his son’s same-sex wedding — a decision that came just months after another Methodist minister was defrocked for the same reason. The Rev. Thomas Ogletree, 80, a former dean of the Yale Divinity School, said he’s thankful that his church won’t put him on trial for what he called “an act of pastoral faithfulness and fatherly love.” Bishop Martin McLee, who announced his decision Monday, called on church officials to stop prosecuting other pastors for marrying same-sex couples. The dismissal of the case against Ogletree does not require him to say he’ll never conduct another same-sex wedding, nor does it say that what he did was wrong. The pastor who brought the complaint against Ogletree says McLee’s decision will make many United Methodists wonder “whether they can continue to support a church that will not abide by its own rules.” Sound: 243-a-11-(United Methodist Bishop Martin McLee, at news conference)-“has been achieved”-United Methodist Bishop Martin McLee says retired minister Thomas Ogletree will not be put on trial. (10 Mar 2014) < 244-a-10-(Retired Methodist minister Thomas Ogletree, at news conference)-“more inclusive community”-Reired Methodist minister Thomas Ogletree says the church is learning. (10 Mar 2014) < 242-w-36-(Warren Levinson, AP correspondent, with United Methodist Bishop Martin McLee)–A Methodist minister has escaped punishment for performing a same-sex wedding in violation of church policy. AP correspondent Warren Levinson reports. (10 Mar 2014) < 245-a-13-(Thomas Rimbey Ogletree, minister’s son, in AP interview)-“a public witness”-Thomas Rimbey Ogletree says he’s relieved his father will not face a church trial for performing his same-sex wedding. (10 Mar 2014) < SYRIA-ABDUCTED A list of prominent people missing in Syria DAMASCUS (AP) — Thirteen abducted Greek Orthodox nuns who were released by al-Qaida-linked Syrian militants have attended a prayer service at the Church of the Cross in Damascus. The nuns arrived in the Syrian capital earlier Monday, ending their three-month ordeal, but other clerics remain in captivity. Two bishops and a priest have been missing since last April, according to Syrian opposition activists and church officials. Gunmen pulled Bishop Boulos Yazigi of the Greek Orthodox Church and Bishop John Ibrahim of the Assyrian Orthodox Church from their car and killed their driver on April 22 while they were traveling outside the northern city of Aleppo. It is not clear who abducted the priests and no group has publicly claimed it is holding them. An Italian Jesuit, Father Paolo Dall’Oglio, went missing in July after traveling to meet Islamic militants in the eastern city of Raqqa. VATICAN-KOREA Pope to go to South Korea in August for youth fest VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican says Pope Francis will travel to South Korea from Aug. 14-18 to participate in an Asian Catholic youth festival. The trip announced Monday will be Francis’ second foreign visit this year, coming after a brief visit to Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories in May. Francis told reporters last summer en route home from his first foreign trip to Brazil that he wanted to go to Asia because Pope Benedict XVI never managed to get to the continent, aside from a quick trip to Turkey in 2006. The visit will mark the first time in 25 years that a pope has visited the Korean peninsula. Pope John Paul II last visited in 1989 and canonized 103 Korean martyrs during a 1984 trip. UN-CENTRAL-AFRICAN-REPUBLIC UN starts Central African Republic investigation GENEVA (AP) — Leaders of a U.N. investigation of human rights abuses in Central African Republic said they will look into “reports of genocide.” The chair of the investigation, Bernard Acho Muna, said he’s concerned that hate propaganda used by both Christians and Muslims in the conflict will fuel more violence. Political disputes in Central African Republic are turning increasingly sectarian as Muslims are killed, Qurans are destroyed and mosques are set on fire. Tens of thousands of Muslims have fled to neighboring countries in recent months. In December, the 15-nation Security Council mandated an investigation of human rights abuses in Central African Republic for an initial period of one year to compile information and help identify perpetrators with an aim toward prosecuting them. UNITED STATES-SIKHS IN MILITARY US lawmakers urge inclusion of Sikhs in military WASHINGTON (AP) — More than 100 members of Congress from both parties are urging the Defense Department to make it easier for practicing Sikh Americans who wear beards and turbans to serve in the military. The House members wrote Monday to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel calling for an end to a presumptive ban on Sikhs serving. Under rules announced in January, troops can seek waivers on a case-by-case basis to wear religious clothing, seek prayer time or engage in religious practices. But the Sikh Coalition, a U.S.-based group that advocates for the estimated half-million Sikhs living in the U.S., says the bureaucratic hurdles remain a disincentive. The lawmakers’ letter says three devout Sikh Americans currently have dispensations to serve in the military. PRIEST ABUSE-CHARGES No verdict in Philly priest-abuse case PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A Philadelphia jury is set to return Tuesday for a fourth day of deliberations in a priest’s sexual-assault trial. The Rev. Andrew McCormick is accused of molesting a 10-year-old altar boy in a rectory bedroom in 1997. The 57-year-old McCormick is the latest in a string of Philadelphia priests charged with child sexual assault. City prosecutors have been investigating the Roman Catholic church’s handling of abuse complaints since 2002. McCormick denies molesting anyone during his 30-year church career. He concedes that he was twice reprimanded by the archdiocese for his behavior around children. The jury has been deliberating since Thursday afternoon. The case involves St. John Cantius (KAN’-shus) parish, a Polish congregation in northeast Philadelphia. ANTI-SEMITIC NOTES-DELI Albuquerque man facing federal hate crime charge ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico man is facing a federal hate crime charge after authorities said he posted threatening anti-Semitic notes outside a Jewish deli. The U.S. Department of Justice announced that 58-year-old John Ng (ING) made his initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Albuquerque related to notes found at the Nosh Jewish Delicatessen & Bakery. According to a criminal complaint, Ng posted the threatening anti-Semitic notes in late January and early February. He was arrested by the FBI on Friday for interfering with the victim’s federally protected rights by threatening the victim and interfering with her business because of her religion. Ng faces a maximum statutory penalty of one year in prison. His court-appointed attorney declined to comment. MINISTER SUES POLICE 92-year-old minister sues over police treatment SALISBURY, N.C. (AP) — A 92-year-old minister is suing the city of Salisbury, N.C., saying unreasonable force was used when a policeman tackled him and broke two bones. The Salisbury Post reports that the Rev. J.W. Loy Jr. filed the civil complaint in Rowan Superior Court. It involves an April 2013 incident at the assisted-living center where Loy lived at the time. The court filing names Officer Chris Hamm as the officer who tackled Loy. Police had been called because center officials said Loy was uncooperative. Defense attorney Scott MacLatchie says Loy fell when Hamm tried to grab the minister’s cane. The lawsuit says Loy was holding his cane but never threatened the officer with it. The lawsuit seeks at least $10,000 in compensatory damages.
