[Anglican Network in Canada] 16 May 2009--After one and a half days of mediation with Chief Justice Donald Brenner acting as the mediator,the Diocese of New Westminster and four Anglican Network in Canada (ANiC) parishes – St. John’s (Shaughnessy), St. Matthias and St. Luke, and Church of the Good Shepherd in Vancouver, and St. Matthews in Abbotsford – failed to reach an agreement. The dispute over church properties will now proceed to trial in the BC Supreme Court commencing May 25.
On January 6, 2009, the parties appeared before Chief Justice Brenner requesting an expedited
trial process and permission was granted. To reduce the time for trial and pre-trial procedures,
they agreed to exchange most of their evidence by affidavits and cross-examine a number of
witnesses before the trial. The trial begins May 25 and is set for three weeks.
Earlier this year, the ANiC parishes served a “Notice to Mediate” on the Diocese of New
Westminster. The mediation was scheduled for two full days (May 14 and 15) but by noon today,
an impasse was reached.
“We are very disappointed a settlement could not be reached”, said Cheryl Chang, Chancellor of
ANiC. “We were really hoping we could achieve a peaceful, mutually beneficial resolution of the
matters in dispute.”
This dispute arises from the current divide in the global Anglican Communion over profound
theological differences. The Anglican Church of Canada’s (ACoC) Primates’ Theological
Commission, in its recent “Galilee Report” acknowledged the division among the ACoC’s own
theologians, reflecting the division in the broader Anglican Church. The report said, “We are not of one mind among ourselves”. Similarly, the recent meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council – one of the “Instruments of Unity” in the global Anglican Communion – demonstrated the depth of the division.
In light of this division in Anglicanism, the court will determine who the proper beneficiaries are of the trust over the church property of these four parishes – the diocese or the congregations which bought, paid for, renovated and maintained their church buildings, and who wish to continue upholding established Anglican teaching along with the majority of global Anglicans.
Additional background information is available here.
Today, ANiC numbers 29 parishes, three bishops, 73 priests and deacons and 3500 Canadians in
church on an average Sunday. Members of the Anglican Network in Canada are committed to
remaining faithful to Holy Scripture and established Anglican doctrine and to ensuring that
orthodox Canadian Anglicans are able to remain in full communion with their Anglican brothers
and sisters around the world.
No comments:
Post a Comment