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Adapted from the Diocese of Los Angeles
At its regular monthly meeting Sept. 8 at the Cathedral Center of St. Paul, Diocesan Council received but declined to accept a report presented by the Task Force to Study Church Properties Held by Corporation Sole.
The task force was formed in response to a resolution instructing the bishop to transfer church properties currently held by Corporation Sole, a California corporation of which the Bishop of Los Angeles is trustee, to the Corporation of the Diocese.
Diocesan Council unanimously adopted a motion that the report be returned to the task force as not acceptable as presented, informing the task force that in order to present a complete report to Diocesan Convention, Council needs the following specific information from the task force:
- A careful evaluation of every church property held by Corporation Sole, including the circumstances under which each came to be held by Corporation Sole
- The legal and tax implications for each, in the event they were to be transferred to the Corporation of the Diocese
- The ability of the Corporation of the Diocese to actually maintain these church properties once transferred
The council’s motion also invites task force members to attend the council’s Oct. 20 meeting to discuss a timeline and resources needed to fulfill these requirements.
The task force, appointed by former Standing Committee presidents, was authorized by the 2015 meeting of Diocesan Convention to study issues pertaining to the transfer of church properties from Corporation Sole to the Corporation of the Diocese. Because Diocesan Council functions as Diocesan Convention between annual meetings, diocesan canons require that the report be presented to the council, which had the option to accept it or return it to the committee for further work.
