Talks Break Down Between Anglican Church, Breakaway Parishes

by The Canadian Press

(Toronto, Ontario) The ownership of three breakaway Ontario Anglican churches will be the subject of a courtroom battle Friday after the collapse of negotiations aimed at staving off legal proceedings.

Efforts to settle an ownership dispute between the Niagara Anglican diocese and three dissenting area congregations in southwestern Ontario - Lowville, Oakville and St. Catharines - broke down Thursday following several days of talks.

Cheryl Chang, director of the Anglican Network in Canada, which supports the dissenting parishes, said the two sides found a lot of common ground but couldn't agree on who should ultimately maintain possession of the church properties.

"The options are the diocese takes over the building, or parishes have the building, or they share, I guess," she said, noting the decision deadline is Sunday.

"This is a long-standing issue. It's been going on for decades, really."

The congregations have declared their intention to separate from the church because of a so-called "breach of trust."

At the heart of the rift are some recent and controversial decisions by the church, including ordaining women and the acceptance of same-sex marriage. The current dispute, however, comes down to who actually owns the churches.

The archbishop of the Anglican Church of Canada has argued that church property belongs to the local diocese.

He's said it would remain with the national church if a congregation broke ranks.

"I think it's very sad that it's come to this," Chang said. "There's deeply held theological differences at the root of the problem and it's a global problem. It's not just a national or a local problem."

Members of the Niagara diocese refused to comment on the case.

The hearing is slated to take place Friday in Ontario Superior Court in Hamilton, Ont.