Episcopal Church

In a victory for the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, a state appeals panel has upheld the diocese's claim to the buildings and other property of three conservative parishes that had severed their ties with the diocese. The unanimous decision by a panel of the appeals court in Santa Ana reversed lower court rulings in the case, which involves St. James Church in Newport Beach, All Saints Church in Long Beach and St. David's Church in North Hollywood.

The Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles is the rightful owner of the buildings and other property of a conservative La Crescenta congregation that broke away from the diocese last year, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled Tuesday. The decision by Judge John Shepard Wiley Jr. against St. Luke's of the Mountains came more than a week after an appeals court panel in Orange County ruled in favor of the six-county Los Angeles Diocese in a similar property dispute with three other parishes.

Three conservative parishes that severed their ties with the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles have filed petitions asking the California Supreme Court to review a recent appeals court decision that upheld the diocese's claim to the parishes' buildings and other property. The churches -- St. James in Newport Beach, All Saints in Long Beach and St.

The Episcopal Diocese of Chicago included an openly lesbian priest among five nominees for bishop Tuesday, as fellow Anglicans are demanding that the church bar gay bishops. The Rev. Tracey Lind, dean of Trinity Cathedral in Cleveland, who has a female partner, will be on the Nov. 10 ballot. If she wins, she would be the second bishop in the Episcopal Church who lives with a same-sex partner. New Hampshire Bishop V.

The California Supreme Court has voted unanimously to review a recent appeals court ruling that the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles is the owner of the buildings, prayer books and other property of several conservative congregations that broke away from the diocese in 2004. The court announced Tuesday that it would take up the closely watched case, which involves St. James Church in Newport Beach, All Saints in Long Beach and St. David's in North Hollywood.

Since 2003, when the Episcopal Church consecrated a partnered gay man as bishop of New Hampshire, there have been growing fears of a formal split within the U.S. church, or between it and the rest of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Now, as bishops of the Episcopal Church begin a crucial meeting in New Orleans today, concern about the future of the church and its place within the global Anglican fellowship is at center stage.

Episcopal bishops met privately for seven hours Thursday with the archbishop of Canterbury, trying to preserve the church's role in the Anglican family despite Episcopal support for gays. The denomination is the Anglican body in the U.S. and has a more liberal view of Scripture than most Anglicans overseas. Tensions over Bible interpretation erupted in 2003, when Episcopalians consecrated the first openly gay bishop, V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire.

new orleans -- The archbishop of Canterbury indicated Friday that the Episcopal Church wasn't on the brink of losing its place in the world Anglican fellowship, despite the uproar over Episcopal support for gay clergy. Anglican leaders, called primates, had set a Sept. 30 deadline for the Americans to pledge unequivocally not to consecrate another gay bishop or approve an official prayer service for same-sex couples. Episcopal bishops have dedicated their meeting here to crafting a response.

new orleans -- Episcopal bishops, under pressure from Anglicans to ease their support for gays, said Monday that they were crafting a straightforward statement that reflects their deep desire to remain in the global Anglican fellowship. Anglican leaders have set a Sept. 30 deadline for the Americans to pledge unequivocally not to consecrate another gay bishop or approve an official prayer service for same-gender couples. Episcopal bishops have dedicated their meeting here to crafting a response.

Episcopal leaders, who are struggling to hold together their increasingly divided church and maintain its place in the global Anglican Communion, pledged anew Tuesday to "exercise restraint" in consecrating another openly gay bishop. In the final hours of a crucial meeting in New Orleans, Episcopal bishops promised not to authorize official rites for the blessings of same-sex couples and asserted that a majority of bishops do not allow priests to bless such unions.