Posted on 11/30/2004 12:51:40 PM PST by RonF
PHILADELPHIA, PA (11/30/2004)--The Bishop of Pennsylvania, Charles E. Bennison has filed subpoenas against VirtueOnline and the Diocese of Pittsburgh in ongoing litigation between the revisionist bishop and Fr. David L. Moyer, rector of the Church of the Good Shepherd, Rosemont.
In previous filings Bennison successfully asked the court, citing Virtuosity, for an order allowing him to keep secret most of the documents he had to produce. Now he is attacking this writer for revealing what was then publicly available. This subpoena is a clear attack on the freedom of the press.
Because Bennison is subpoenaing this writer, VirtueOnline intends to look more closely at what is going on in the litigation and report it to the whole church.
In that litigation, when Bennison was finally compelled to produce documents to Fr. Moyer's attorneys, he obtained a "Confidentiality Order" allowing him to keep secret most of the documents he produced. Bennison cited VirtueOnline as the primary object of the "Confidentiality" Order.
Now, Bennison seeks to involve this writer in this litigation and to harass VirtueOnline for daring to criticize him. There is no legitimate basis for the subpoena. Certainly, VirtueOnline can be of no help to Bennison in answering Father Moyer's Complaint about Bennison's frauds.
In the subpoenas Bennison seeks records from both VirtueOnline and the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh asking for "all memoranda, correspondence, articles, notes and/or documents that relate to Fr. Moyer, the Church of the Good Shepherd along with all bills and invoices, telephone conversations from David Virtue to Dr. David L. Moyer."
Bennison's subpoena of Bishop Duncan is a direct interference in the affairs and operation of the Diocese of Pittsburgh. He has, in effect, crossed diocesan lines without the consent of Bishop Duncan, acts which Bennison himself has previously condemned.
In the subpoenas Bennison does not recognize Fr. Moyer's orders, even though he is under the ecclesiastical authority of Archbishop Bernard Malango of Central Africa. Bennison refers to him simply as "Dr. Moyer" in the complaint.
Up to this point Bennison has sought to smother all dissent and by hampering VirtueOnline's investigation into the affairs of the diocese he has sought, among other things, to stifle both freedom of speech and freedom of the press, a clear violation of the First Amendment which explicitly guarantees such freedoms.
In filing these subpoenas Bennison has sought to involve this writer in the case thus undermining the basis of his previous Confidentiality Order, in which he has tried to keep his frauds secret. This act by Bennison is egregious and increasingly typical of revisionist bishops who hate orthodoxy, and will use almost any tactic they can to see that they are vilified, while their own heresies are brokered into the church and demand they be accepted.
At a diocesan clergy conference this week Bishop Bennison said that he wants both lawsuits by Fr. David Moyer's against him to go forward and he has petitioned the courts to go to trial as he wants all the subpoenaing to stop. He did not reveal that he himself had just served seven separate subpoenas.
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The perverted left wing bishops keep digging deeper the holes they are in.
Oh, lovely. This POS is my bishop now. He is coming to my church in January. I think I will be washing my hair that day.
I'm in the Diocese of Chicago. We're probably not due for an Episcopal visit for at least a year. I'm wondering when it happens what I'll do. Staying home is not an option; I sing in the choir, and I'll probably be selected as either a lector or the intercessor.
I've read often that the virtue of the Sacraments are inherent in them and not in the cleric who offers them. If that is so, it seems to me that there is no impediment to taking the Eucharist from him.
The 39 Articles sums it up nicely:
XXVI. Of the Unworthiness of the Ministers, which hinders not the effect of the Sacraments.
Although in the visible Church the evil be ever mingled with the good, and sometimes the evil have chief authority in the Ministration of the Word and Sacraments, yet forasmuch as they do not the same in their own name, but in Christ's, and do minister by his commission and authority, we may use their Ministry, both in hearing the Word of God, and in receiving the Sacraments. Neither is the effect of Christ's ordinance taken away by their wickedness, nor the grace of God's gifts diminished from such as by faith, and rightly, do receive the Sacraments ministered unto them; which be effectual, because of Christ's institution and promise, although they be ministered by evil men.
Nevertheless, it appertaineth to the discipline of the Church, that inquiry be made of evil Ministers, and that they be accused by those that have knowledge of their offences; and finally, being found guilty, by just judgment be deposed.
"Nevertheless, it appertaineth to the discipline of the Church, that inquiry be made of evil Ministers, and that they be accused by those that have knowledge of their offences; and finally, being found guilty, by just judgment be deposed."
And that, Ron, is why you should NOT attend & serve that day UNLESS you are prepared to make a personal inquiry of this evil Minister as to why he persists in his heretical, unChristian, & hateful conduct. Evil prevails when good men do nothing....
I certainly understand your sentiment, but from a canon law perspective, there's a procedure -- just judgment -- to be followed. Evil ministers are not deposed by popular acclaim.
There is the larger issue of whether just judgment is now possible in the ECUSA -- since the Walter Righter trial, it seems not. But that's a different issue.
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