Episcopal church wins property dispute

By Michael Conlon, Religion Writer

CHICAGO (Reuters) - The U.S. Episcopal Church on Monday won a victory in its efforts to hold on to church property claimed by congregations that have left in disputes over theology and the role of homosexuals in the church.

The California Supreme Court ruled that the 2.4-million-member national church, and not a local parish in that state, owns a church building and the land on which it sits, property which members of the congregation said belonged to them when they left the church.

St. James parish in Newport Beach split from the church in 2004, a year after the national church consecrated Gene Robinson of New Hampshire as the first bishop known to be in an openly gay relationship in more than four centuries of Anglican church history.

Disputes over scriptural authority, the blessing of gay unions and the Robinson elevation have shaken the 77-million-member worldwide Anglican Communion, a federation of national churches of which the Episcopal church is the U.S. branch.

Katharine Jefferts Schori, the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, said Monday's ruling strongly affirms the church's contention that in the end it owns all property being used by member churches -- and that those who have broken away merely abandon such property.

While the decision specifically applies to the one California property, she said, "its unequivocal reasoning applies generally throughout The Episcopal Church. We are hopeful that this decision will help to bring remaining property litigation in California and elsewhere to a speedy conclusion ..."

Monday's ruling applied only in the California case and not to other disputes across the country, including one in Virginia where breakaway congregations are trying to hold on to property of the Falls Church and Truro Church said to be worth at least $25 million.

Dozens of other congregations and four dioceses have also left the national church, and most of those property issues have yet to be contested.

(Editing by Andrew Stern and Cynthia Osterman)