News around TEC

In Washington DC, Bishop Chane will step down:

The Rt. Rev. John Bryson Chane announced today that he plans to retire as bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington after the consecration of his successor in the fall of 2011.

Chane, 65, became the eighth Bishop of Washington in June 2002. He is known for his passionate support for the full inclusion of gay and lesbian Christians in the Church, his commitment to interfaith dialog, and his outreach to Africa and the Muslim world.

“I love what I do and I deeply love this diocese,” Chane told delegates to the diocese’s annual convention at Washington National Cathedral. “When the time actually comes to turn over the crosier to another it will be a very emotional time for me. “

However, noting that he had been a priest for 38 years, Chane said it was “time to elect a younger person to lead what I consider to be the best and one of the most influential dioceses in the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion.”

In PIttsburgh, Bishop Duncan is told to give back the property:

Although Duncan, through his attorneys, argued that the stipulation does not mean what it seems to mean, Judge James disagreed and, in October 2009, issued an order that the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh should “hold and administer the real and personal property that is subject to Paragraph One [which deals with diocesan property].” That property was inventoried by a special master appointed by the court, attorney Stanley E. Levine.

Today’s order states that:

• The court accepts Levine’s inventory as a list of property...
• There is to be both a public and a confidential version of the court order. ...
• Financial institutions and repositories holding diocesan funds are to take instructions only from the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh. ...
• Real property listed by the special master is rightfully held and administered by the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh. ...
• Recipients of “altar artifacts”..may not sell, transfer, or move the artifacts to another location without the permission of the court.
• Persons or entities having taken out loans from the diocese are to take instructions for repayment from the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh.
• Defendants are to provide to the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh within 20 days financial and other records needed by the diocese to hold and administer the property covered by the order. They are to provide “ongoing cooperation” to implement the provisions of the order.

The order takes effect immediately, and the court “retains jurisdiction over the parties and the subject matter to enforce the Stipulation and Order of October 14, 2005, the Opinion and Order of Court of October 6, 2009, and [the current] order.”