Hearing on diocese claims delayed A court...

Hearing on diocese claims delayed

A court hearing to determine whether there is any merit to a

lawsuit filed by the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles against three

churches that seceded, including one in Newport Beach, was postponed

from today to Nov. 18.

An attorney for St. James Church in Newport Beach, All Saints’ in

Long Beach and St. David’s in North Hollywood filed a response to the

diocese’s lawsuit last month arguing the diocese’s property claims

have no legal basis.

The three churches seceded from the Episcopal Church USA in August

because they did not agree with the national church’s liberal views

on homosexuality, the divinity of Jesus Christ and the supremacy of

the Bible.

The churches placed themselves under the Diocese of Luwero in the

Anglican Province of Uganda, Africa. The Episcopal Diocese of Los

Angeles filed a lawsuit in Orange County Superior Court against the

churches in September, stating that the church buildings and

surrounding property belong to the diocese.

The hearing is set for 1:30 p.m. Nov. 18 at the Central Justice

Center in Santa Ana in Superior Court Judge David C. Velasquez’s

courtroom.