Four Retired Bishops Call for Financial Transparency on Litigation

http://www.livingchurch.org/publishertlc/viewarticle.asp?ID=3504

[The Living Church] 17 July 2007--Four retired bishops called on Executive Council to state how much The Episcopal Church has spent in recent years on litigation and to make public where the money is coming from in order to conduct litigation.

“The Episcopal Church is already involved in expensive lawsuits in Los Angeles, Virginia, Florida, San Diego, New York and elsewhere. Now the Executive Council is threatening even more legal action against four dioceses who affirm their membership in the One Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church,” the bishops wrote in an open letter dated July 14. “We would like to know where the money is coming from to conduct this litigation, especially in view of the fact that the program budget is being reduced because insufficient funds are being received from dioceses.”

The letter was signed by the Rt. Rev. C.F. Allison, retired Bishop of South Carolina; the Rt. Rev. Maurice Benitez, retired Bishop of Texas; the Rt. Rev. Alex D. Dickson, retired Bishop of West Tennessee and the Rt. Rev. William C. Wantland, retired Bishop of Eau Claire.

The bishops concluded by noting that “an open and transparent disclosure is crucially important to avoid speculation, rumors and consequent distrust of The Episcopal Church.”