Anglican rift deepens as two sides go to court
PATRICK BRETHOUR
February 25, 2008

VANCOUVER -- The cracks in the Anglican Church of Canada are widening over the issue of blessing same-sex marriages, with three more congregations voting to split with the national organization over the weekend - and the two sides headed to court on Friday.

So far, the legal battle is limited to the diocese of Niagara in Ontario, where two congregations voted to break away last week and a third, the Church of the Good Shepherd in St. Catharines, followed suit yesterday. Two congregations in the diocese of New Westminster in B.C. - Church of the Good Shepherd, and St. Matthias and St. Luke, both of Vancouver - also voted to break away, bringing the total of dissident churches to 15. They have all put themselves under the authority of the Archbishop Gregory Venables of the Province of the Southern Cone in South America. the rest


Preaching duel no contest
Competing services held at Oakville church as Anglican dispute heads to courtroom
Feb 25, 2008
Jim Wilkes Staff Reporter

Excerpt: "Leaders of the Church's Diocese of Niagara want to boot the congregation and Pastor Paul from the building, even though the local folks have paid off the mortgage, and funded the upkeep and utilities without a nickel from head office.

The congregation refuses to hand over the keys to the place and are content to await the result of a court hearing on Friday to determine who owns what, who gets to stay and who must go.

The Diocese parachuted in a relief reverend yesterday morning, ostensibly to preach to disenfranchised St. Hilda's parishioners upset by the move.

The only problem? There weren't any. the rest

Good Shepherd leaving the flock; Anglican church members vote to break away from national body