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COLORADO: Deposed Priest Responds to Latest Legal Broadside by Bishop O'Neill
By David W. Virtue
www.virtueonline.org
11/12/2007
The Episcopal Diocese of Colorado turned up the heat on Fr. Don Armstrong, the deposed orthodox priest at Grace Church and St. Stephen's. The diocese is suing 18 additional people on the parish's governing board as well as the church's main spokesman, Alan Crippen, and its rector of 20 years, the Rev. Don Armstrong.
The petition by Bishop Robert O'Neill asks the court to add the 18 people to the diocese's existing countersuit, which is seeking monetary damages as well as repossession of the church. The diocese's action is part of a lawsuit already under way to determine the rightful owner of the historic, multimillion-dollar church property located in the central part of the city.
The property is currently under the authority of Armstrong and about 500 followers who supported him when he broke away from the Episcopal Diocese in March to join CANA, the Nigerian-based Anglican province under the ecclesiastical authority of Bishop Martyn Minns and Archbishop Peter Akinola.
Responding to the latest legal salvo aimed at his laity, Fr. Armstrong told VirtueOnline, "Our response is our witness-and we perceive this to be an opportunity to show that our prayers, our reading of Scripture, and the presence of Christ in our lives really does make a difference.
"Although these matters are unfortunately in the courts, it has been our goal to handle all of this as graciously as possible, asking simply for an up or down decision on the property by the courts and to abide by that.
"Although we believe it is our calling to protect the property of Grace Church to fulfill the mission for which it was intended, and also that our case could set precedents that would protect other congregations, we also believe that our identity as a people of God is not tied to our property as much as it is to our witness and ministry.
"I find it hard that the breakaway Episcopal group whose own Senior Warden, Celia DeMoraes has never contributed a dime to the operation of the parish, actually believes she has a claim of conspiracy and theft and fraud against those of us who have given 10% of their income year and after year.
"The charges of conspiracy amuse me in that it is O'Neill who has conspired to steal from the church its historic faith and practice, and defraud the people by teaching them a false gospel."
Crippen, Armstrong's spokesman, said Sunday that the decision to add individuals has "escalated" the conflict, but he said members of the breakaway congregation "will not be intimidated by the bullying tactics."
In a separate action, an Episcopal Church court last summer found Armstrong guilty of financial wrongdoing at the parish and requested that the Colorado Springs police pursue a criminal investigation, which is under way.
Last month, a separate, independent audit of the parish books, commissioned by the breakaway parish itself, found Armstrong innocent of any wrongdoing.
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