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Virginia Break-Away Anglican Congregations Score Another Victory

By Howard M. Friedman

The Washington Times reports that on Tuesday, a Fairfax County, Virginia, trial court judge issued yet another ruling in favor of one of the local congregations that has broken away from the Episcopal Church in order to affiliate with the newly-created more conservative Anglican District of Virginia. Judge Randy I. Bellows decided that a contested parcel of land belongs to the Truro Church in Fairfax. He ruled that a 2007 conveyance of the property to Truro Church by Christ the Redeemer Church in Centreville was valid. This means that under Virginia's "Division Statute", this property, like other property of the congregation, will belong to it, and not to the church's former parent body, the Episcopal Church.

This ruling follows another important one made on September 26 in which Judge Bellows rejected challenges by the Episcopal Church to the validity of the votes authorizing eleven conservative congregations to break away from the Episcopal Church. The court now must still decide on the ownership of a handful of additional properties, including whether a 276-year-old church once attended by George Washington belongs to the Christ Episcopal Church in Alexandria.

Full post as published by Religion Clause on October 17, 2008 (boomark / email).