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Seems stupid of the diocese, and TEC, considering that these churches existed a century BEFORE there was a diocese of Va.
This may well work out in the long run....as these Churches have excellent lawyers on their side, with excellent legal reasoning, I'm sure.
No matter how the main stream media spin it, it's still a large rich denomination against individual churches...and that large rich denomination, since it is shrinking fast, is getting less popular all the time....and this has to be the worst kind of PR for TEC.
It's a mark of Schori's lack of experience that she's letting Beers and the lawyers run the show--as given the schism crisis anyone with a modicum of political savvy would quickly and quietly settle--especially with politically connected Washington DC area churches. If the churches do this rightly, it will only be TEC with a black eye, whether or not, they win back the properties.
In the worst case, TEC couldn't handle such expensive properties with only token congregations--and they would be stupid to try. This may well be a legal tactic to enact the largest pound of flesh ($$$) from these churches possible, but all that money will be less than the negative publicity TEC will garner for itself.
That just leaves a bad taste. I'd just want to say BACK OFF if I were the diocese. Of course, in this case the diocese has no backbone. Just what is the point of even having dioceses if the national church is constantly interfering at the local level? (aside from maintaining the episcopal structure.) The hierarchy has broken down and the diocese is welcoming it! If I were the bishop of VA I would be terribly offended and embarrassed. All theology aside for the moment, in the business world, and let's remember that this is exactly what TEC is making the church into - a business, the CEO (the Presiding Bishop) has no place in trying to discipline an individual (i.e. a parish). There is a chain of command in place that needs to be followed, otherwise TEC is no longer Episcopal (which, of course, we already knew). (And it sure isn't The Church - Rome would have fun with that!)