LETTERS TO THIS EDITOR, 22 APRIL 2022
Today I am posting two thoughtful letters to the editor that everyone will find interesting and worthwhile:
April 21, 2022
Hello Ron,
Thinking in terms of a "win" after so much heartbreak and loss is crazy. But putting that truth aside, I can't see yesterday's SCSC ruling as anything but a win for The Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina. After all, didn't we agree with Bishop vonRosenberg's offering the breakaways a deal years ago in which they would get the churches they wanted and we would get Camp St. Christopher and all other diocesan property as well as the corporate entity of the diocese? It seems to me this ruling (along with Judge Gergel's) gives the diocese's Episcopalians what we were long ago willing to settle for, plus 14 more parishes. So from that standpoint this seems like a "win" for the Episcopal Church if there can be such a thing in a terribly sad and unnecessary battle.
But doesn't winning or losing in this seem somewhat less important now, as we wonder what winning or losing will look like in Ukraine...a far, far worse "sad and unnecessary battle"? Did God have a hand in dragging these court cases out until this very time so that we would see it all from a different perspective? If so, it worked for me...
Nancy Gault
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Dear Ron,
It is probably inappropriate, and almost certainly unseemly, to speak of "winners" and "losers" in the wake of a ruling like the one handed down on April 20, 2022.
Appearances to the contrary, the decade-long conflict was not a boxing match. It was a divorce; as with any divorce, the overarching consequence is loss, regardless of who walks away with what.
That said, for those who feel the need to declare a "winner" and a "loser," it might be well to consider the actual facts resulting from the ruling:
At noon on April 19, 2022, the Episcopalians were in possession of all the property they had held since 2013. At noon on the following day, they still had all that property, PLUS fourteen additional parishes PLUS Diocesan House on Coming St., PLUS the bishop's residence on Smith St., PLUS Camp St. Christopher.
At noon on April 19, 2022, the "Anglicans" were still in possession of all the property they had held since 2013. At noon on the following day, they had fourteen FEWER parishes and had LOST Diocesan House on Coming St. LOST the bishop's residence on Smith St. and LOST Camp St. Christopher.
Barring some truly improbable reversal, which is difficult to imagine at this point, such are the facts. In terms of who "won" and who "lost," each person is of course free to come to his/her own conclusion based on these facts.
Christopher Rivers
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RE: first letter.
Thanks for this Nancy. Yes, in June of 2015, the Episcopal side offered the secessionists a deal in which the Episcopalians would surrender claim to all 36 parishes in question in return for the entity of the old diocese. The breakaways turned down the offer instantly and ridiculed it to boot. (I suspect they thought they were going to win it all in court.) Look what they would have now if they had taken the offer and look at what they would have spared everyone involved in the nearly seven years since.
RE: second letter.
Agreed, it is inappropriate to talk about winners and losers. In a sense everyone involved lost. It has indeed been a long and bitter divorce. How the sides go forward now will speak loudly to their understanding of the Christian religion.
I encourage you to share your thoughts about the recent events with us. Send e-mail to address above.
