Legal battle for church property nears end
THE final decision on who owns the assets of the secessionist
Anglican diocese of San Joaquin, in California, will be made in
March, ending a seven-year legal battle. The Bishop of San Joaquin,
the Rt Revd John-David Schofield, who died in October, led most of
the diocese out of the Episcopal Church in the United States in
2007. An initial ruling from another judge last year said that the
Episcopal Church had failed to submit documents to prove that it
owned church buildings, bank accounts, and a conference centre
(News, 15 March 2013).
US Church suggests South Sudan solution
IN A six-page memo sent to President Obama, the Episcopal Church
in the United States has recommended a course of action for the US
government in South Sudan. It urges the President's administration
to form a partnership with the Episcopal Church of South Sudan and
Sudan, saying that it is the only civic institution that can bring
reconciliation to the warring factions.
Nigeria will not split, says bishop
A NIGERIAN bishop has said that Nigeria would not split into
Christian and Muslim countries, as he marked 100 years since the
country was formed. The Bishop of Kaduna, Dr Josiah Idowu-Fearon,
said on Monday that he believed that God had brought Nigeria
together in 1914, and would therefore not allow a break-up of the
West African state, despite continuing friction between the two
communities in some parts of the country.