Monday, January 18, 2010

Creativity

Haiti is much in people's minds ... now that an awful devastation has occurred ... but emerging from the rubble is a realization that the devastation is the worse for the state the country was in before the earthquake struck, and hope for recovery and restoration - in some observers' minds - is lower than has proved the case with, say, Banda Aceh after the 2004 tsunami.

From the ever fertile mind of Ephraim Radner comes this plausible (albeit crazily plausible) scheme for assisting Haiti (the Diocese of Haiti, by the way, is a Diocese in TEC):

"In the face of the tragedy in Haiti, I want to make a proposal. It’s not a realistic proposal, I grant; but it is a serious one. My proposal is this: that all those Anglicans involved in litigation amongst one another in North America — both in the Episcopal Church and those outside of TEC; in the Anglican Church of Canada, and those outside — herewith cease all court battles over property. And, having done this, they do two further things:

a. devote the forecast amount they were planning to spend on such litigation to the rebuilding of the Episcopal Church and its people in Haiti; and

b. sit down with one another, prayerfully and for however long it takes, and with whatever mediating and facilitating presence they accept, and agree to a mutually agreed process for dealing with contested property."

It could work. Where there is will ... a way.

Radner points out that the litigation sums in view are millions, not small change.

From far away all schemes which unite the Communion are worth considering. Go Ephraim!

2 comments:

Kurt said...

I have a more practical idea: send a check, as I did last week, to Episcopal Relief & Development and earmark it for Haiti relief. Then, they could do as our Bishop of Long Island has done, schedule two special offerings this month for Haiti relief.

There is no way that we are letting the ACNA walk away with our properties! No way, Radner!

Peter Carrell said...

I understand Radner to be arguing for both Tec and Acna to find another way to sort the property issue than through expensive litigation. In my view there are ways to sort it which need not involve Tec losing what is theirs. Though there is also the interesting question in some cases whether Tec is the property owner - this is what Anglican Curmudgeon is arguing on his blog.

But Radner is unlikely to be followed and thus your suggestion is the more practical one!