A trial over who owns a $17 million church building got down and dirty Thursday as an attorney for the Episcopal Diocese of Colorado attempted to depict a group of rogue, all-powerful church leaders lying to their diocese and parishioners about their plans to leave the national church.
The deception, attorney Martin Nussbaum told a packed courtroom, was meant to thwart the diocese from claiming legal right to the Gothic church on North Tejon Street.
Ownership of the property has been in dispute ever since the church vestry voted on March 26, 2007, to break from the Episcopal Church and affiliate with a conservative Anglican group based in Nigeria.
The Anglican group has continued to worship in the building, while the group that stayed with the Episcopal Church is worshiping in another location downtown.
The diocese claims ecclesiastical law gives it rights to the property, while the breakaway group, Grace Church & St. Stephen's, argues that it became its own corporation in 1973 and therefore holds legal title.
http://www.gazette.com/articles/congregation_48422___article.html/church_argument.html
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