The new leadership of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh confirmed that it will file a new plea in an existing case before the Court of Common Pleas in Allegheny County later today. The purpose is to recover assets it says rightfully belong to The Episcopal Church and which are currently held by Anglicans now under the auspices of the Church of the Southern Cone, based in Argentina.
 
In October, during the convention of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, a majority of clergy and lay deputies and most of the diocesan leadership voted to disaffiliate from The Episcopal Church and realign with the Anglican Church of the Southern Cone.
 
The Rev. Harold Lewis, rector of Calvary Church, Pittsburgh, told The Living Church that the leadership representing those members of the diocese who did not want to realign have joined a lawsuit initiated four years ago by Fr. Lewis and the vestry of Calvary. The Rev. James Simons, rector of St. Michael’s, Rector, Pa., and president of the standing committee for the loyalist group, confirmed that the filing would be made on Jan. 8.
 
The new filing requests that the court declare those loyal to The Episcopal Church to be the rightful owners of all diocesan assets, Fr. Lewis said.
 
The original lawsuit was settled out of court in October 2005 with the two sides agreeing that no property would be transferred from control of the diocese. The suit was reopened last year and an independent financial reviewer appointed to determine which assets belonged to the diocese. In June of last year the diocese successfully filed for incorporation with the state of Pennsylvania to create a new corporation titled the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh. The leadership now operating under the auspices of the Church of the Southern Cone continues to present itself as the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh.
 
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