WASHINGTON — The embattled Episcopal bishop of Washington was handed a major legal victory May 22 when a federal appeals court affirmed her right to oust a conservative priest from his Maryland pulpit.
In its ruling, a unanimous Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling that said Bishop Jane Holmes Dixon did not err in vetoing the call of Samuel Edwards at Christ Church in Accokeek, Md. The Richmond, Va.-based court said Dixon’s actions as bishop “are final and binding.”
Conservatives within the church had rallied around Edwards, saying the power struggle was symptomatic of a larger problem that pits liberal bishops against “traditionalist” priests and their flocks.
In a larger sense, the case tested the boundaries of church law when it affects civil law. In its decision, the court said church law, if properly applied, must be followed in such disputes.
Dixon, who is set to retire July 1, praised the court’s decision in a written statement.
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