Georgia's ‘Mother Church' fight going to Supreme Court

From Savannah, via Atlanta Journal Constitution- (Links to additional articles at bottom of post)

A Savannah congregation that split from the Episcopal Church in a dispute over homosexuality has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear its case over who owns the $3 million property of Georgia's "Mother Church.

" The breakaway congregation has been fighting for years for ownership of Christ Church's downtown Savannah sanctuary, built in 1840. The church was established by Georgia's colonial founders in 1733. The congregation's leaders confirmed Friday they had appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court after exhausting their legal options at the state level.

The breakaway group held onto the downtown Savannah property for more than four years after it left the Episcopal Church in 2007 for affirming its first gay bishop. A long court battle followed, with the Georgia Supreme Court ruling Nov. 21 that the church property rightfully belongs to the Episcopal Church under its governing hierarchy and bylaws. It's uncertain whether the nation's highest court will hear the case.

Leaders of the breakaway group say it warrants attention because there have been more than 50 similar church cases litigated in other states. "You've had different rulings from different jurisdictions," said John Albert, board chairman for the breakaway congregation. "We've always felt like this was going to have to get settled at the Supreme Court level."

More here-

http://www.ajc.com/news/georgias-mother-church-fight-1396613.html

From AP

http://onlineathens.com/local-news/2012-03-23/savannah-church-fight-appealed-supreme-court

From Georgia Public Broadcasting-

http://www.gpb.org/news/2012/03/23/church-dispute-goes-to-supreme-court#

From Savannah Morning News-

http://savannahnow.com/news/2012-03-23/christ-church-savannah-turns-us-court-property-flap#.T225aJiOyfQ