Virginia Court Will Hear Appeal in Episcopal Property Battle

By Michelle Boorstein
October 14, 2009

A years-long, multi-million-dollar land battle between the Episcopal Church in Virginia and conservatives who broke away from the denomination is headed back to court.

The Virginia Supreme Court said today that it would hear an appeal by the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia (which includes primarily northern and eastern Virginia) and the national church, which got clobbered in Fairfax District Court last year.

The district court judge sided with nine conservative Virginia congregations whose members were fed up with the church's position on biblical literalism, gay clergy and gay marriage. Those conservative congregations voted in late 2006, early 2007 to leave the Episcopal Church, take the millions in real estate and join another, more like-minded branch of the Anglican Communion. the rest