Free Republic

SANTA ANA - An Orange County judge dismissed Thursday the last of the lawsuits seeking the return of property from three churches that split from the Episcopal Church to place themselves under a conservative Ugandan bishop. Orange County Superior Court Judge David Velasquez dismissed suits by the Protestant Episcopal Church USA against St. James Church in Newport Beach, All Saints in Long Beach and St. David's in North Hollywood. Velasquez had dismissed those claims in October, but allowed lawyers to amend the complaints. However, in a ruling issued Thursday, Velasquez found that the national church "has not added anything legally...

(The Roanoke Times article is at the end of Fr. Thompson's letter. Scroll down to read it first, please.) Dear Mr. Lowe, In reply to your article in the Roanoke Times, May 8, "Does the press accurately cover religion?", I offer the following comments. In the article, you asked eight questions. In order, they are, "Who speaks for religious folks?". "Who is heard?". "What's a reporter to do?". "What kind of job are the media doing in covering moral values?". "Do reporters talk to too many conservatives?" [or] "Too many liberals?". "Is there a media conspiracy to subvert moral values?"...

From The Orange County Register The Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles filed lawsuits Tuesday seeking to "secure and protect the church properties" at three local breakaway parishes, including St. James Church in Newport Beach. The suits, filed in both Los Angeles and Orange County, aim to "preserve these churches as houses of worship for faithful Episcopalians as they have been since their founding," Bishop J. Jon Bruno said through his attorney. The parishes, also including All Saints in Long Beach and St. David's in North Hollywood, broke from the Episcopal Church USA last month over a variety of differences, particularly...