A final legal requirement has been met for an agreement between the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh and nine congregations that chose to leave the Episcopal Church a decade ago.
The agreement affirms the congregations’ ownership and continued use of church properties to which they hold legal title, while also preserving the historic trust interest held by the Episcopal Diocese in those properties. It further establishes mechanisms for an on-going relationship between the diocese and the parishes. All parties involved described it as a “distinctively Christian compromise.”
The agreement was first announced on February 28, 2018, subject to the necessary court and civil administrative approvals. These have now been granted.
On December 4, 2018, Judge Joseph James of the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas approved the agreement as jointly requested by the diocese and the individual parishes. Previously, the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office stated that it had no objection in light of laws governing non-profit organizations in the Commonwealth.
With the court’s action, the agreement takes effect immediately.
The terms of the agreement and the names of the congregations are outlined in the joint statement and executive summary published on the Episcopal Diocese’s website at www.episcopalpgh.org/diocese-and-parishes-announce-agreement/.