The Diocese of Pittsburgh posted the 8-page “Frequently Asked Questions About Realignment” on its Parish Toolbox Web site on April 22, 2008. (The document is available here.) “FAQ” captures the substance of what Bishop Robert Duncan has been telling parishes as he makes the rounds of churches trying to shore up support for removing the Diocese of Pittsburgh from The Episcopal Church and “realigning” it with another Anglican province, most likely South America’s Southern Cone.

PEP’s “Realignment Reconsidered” provides a warning to Pittsburgh Episcopalians that the diocese’s answers are not to be taken at face value. According to PEP, realignment is both improper and puts parish property at risk. Not only has The Episcopal Church been vigorous in pursuit of property that dissidents have tried to remove from the church, but the Calvary lawsuit stipulation appears to give Episcopalians staying in the church the upper hand in claiming both diocesan property and the property of individual parishes.

“Realignment Reconsidered” reproduces the questions and answers from the diocese, adding answers from PEP that we believe are more objective. PEP is issuing a press release about the new document, which you can read here. The document itself, a PDF file, is available here.

Coincidentally, the Rev. Dr. Harold Lewis, rector of Calvary Church also addressed “FAQ” in his parish newsletter. His essay “Realignment: The Unvarnished Truth” can be read here.