NOTES, 27 APRIL 2022
Today is Wednesday, April 27, 2022. I wish I had something to report about yesterday's clergy meetings, one in the Episcopal diocese and the other in the Anglican diocese of South Carolina. Alas, I have not. The people I reached out to for information did not respond. If I do get reports, or if the dioceses post reports on their websites, I will relay the information here. Apparently, both sides are keeping their cards close to the vest. After all, the litigation is still ongoing in both state and federal courts, so I suppose this is understandable.
Right now the focus is on the SC supreme court ruling and the biggest issue there is the return of the fourteen parishes to the Episcopal diocese. The restoration of the Episcopal bishop in the fourteen is just a matter of time. It would be wrong of the present parish leaders to allow their parishioners to hold out hope that the local properties will somehow escape from the court's decision. The SCSC decision is final.
I have seen a bit of chatter about the Betterments issue. Under the Betterments law, a local property occupant has the right of reimbursement from the owner for improvements he (the occupant) made to the property which he thought he owned. Unless the owner voluntarily makes Betterments payments (highly unlikely), this would require lawsuits. The obvious problem is that in the Episcopal Church almost all parish property is owned by the parish, not by TEC or the Episcopal diocese (they have trust control). It would make no sense for a parish to sue itself. The most sensible solution for this issue is for the occupants who depart upon Episcopal restoration to take the furnishings and other assets they added after the schism (Oct. 15, 2012) and leave the rest of the parish property intact.
If the Anglicans want to play hardball and start entering new lawsuits of this and that against the Episcopal side, this will force the Church to respond. Why could not the Episcopal side charge rent for the nearly ten years of illegal occupation of Church property? Can you imagine what ten years rent for Camp St. Christopher would be? Many millions. What about the bishop's residence in Charleston which would rent for at least $10,000k/month? Do that math for ten years. My point is, accelerating litigation could get much uglier than it has been already and could go on indefinitely. Is this what both parties want?
It behooves both sides to stop this madness. Enough already. We have a settlement. It's a draw. Accept the reality and behave as the Christians you claim to be.
On a more somber note, today is Holocaust Remembrance Day. Let us take a moment and reflect on the worst evil inflicted on humankind in all of modern history and resolve anew such as this will not happen again.
Evil did not finally prevail because there were enough people who refused to stand aside and do nothing. Human rights triumphed in the Twentieth Century as the anti-human rights regimes in Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, militarist Japan, and the Soviet Union all fell. The Russian attack on Ukraine is the dying gasp of the Soviet anti-democrats.
One of those who stood boldly against the enemies of democracy and human rights was Madeleine Albright, the first woman to be secretary of state. She was also a devout Episcopalian.
Her funeral will be today at Washington National Cathedral, 11:00 a.m. EDT. Her last book warned American against moving toward fascism. We had better take her parting words to heart.
Today is a somber day, but not a dark day. We have plenty for which to be thankful. Let us keep that in mind now.
Life is a series of choices. We all choose every day whether to do right or wrong. In my view, the schism resulted from bad choices good people made. The results of those choices are all too well-known today, hard feelings, brokenness, separation. The choices of the future are up to the people of today. Peace.
