c. 2008 Religion News ServiceN.Y. court: Episcopal Church, diocese keep property of separatist church(RNS) New York state’s high court ruled Thursday (Oct. 23) that the Episcopal Church and Diocese of Rochester are entitled to keep the property of a parish that has seceded and joined another branch of the Anglican Communion.All Saints Protestant Episcopal Church agreed to abide by the rules of the national denomination and the Rochester diocese when it applied to be recognized as a parish in 1947, said the Court of Appeals in a unanimous ruling.All Saints did not object when the Episcopal Church amended its constitution in 1979 to state that all local parish property is held in trust for the local diocese and the denomination.“All Saints agreed to abide by this express trust,” wrote Judge Theodore Jones.The Rochester diocese declared All Saints “extinct” in 2005. The western New York parish now calls itself All Saints Anglican Church and is affiliated with the Anglican Church of the Province of Uganda, in Africa. Dozens of conservative Episcopal parishes and two dioceses have left the Episcopal Church since the 2003 consecration of an openly gay man as bishop of New Hampshire.A California appeals court reached a ruling similar to the New York verdict on Tuesday. The Supreme Court of California is considering another similar case in what is expected to be a landmark decision._ Daniel BurkeOral Roberts University settles suit with former professors(RNS) Oral Roberts University has settled a lawsuit with two former professors who claimed that their actions as whistleblowers cost them their jobs.In a suit filed in Tulsa County District Court in October 2007, former professors Tim and Paulita Brooker alleged lavish, unchecked spending and illegal activity by then-ORU President Richard Roberts and his family.The school in Tulsa, Okla., announced Wednesday (Oct. 22) that litigation with the Brookers had been “successfully resolved through mediation” and said the terms of the settlement were confidential.“This matter is now resolved and we are pleased to have it behind us,” said ORU interim president Ralph Fagin.Richard Roberts, the son of university founder and evangelist Oral Roberts,resigned last November amid the allegations. He had succeeded his father in 1993.The charismatic Christian university was more than $50 million in debt last fall, but has seen an infusion of funds from Mart Green, a Christian retail businessman who has supported it with a $70 million donation._ Adelle M. BanksQuote of the Day: Sister Emmanuelle(RNS) “A little girl suddenly understood, one Sunday morning, that you cannot hang on to foam or mist. In my subconscious, my vocation dates from that time. I searched for what was absolute and not what was ephemeral.”_ The late Sister Emmanuelle, a French nun and humanitarian, who died on Monday (Oct. 20). Speaking to a French reporter in 2000, Emmanuelle recalled watching her father drown when she was a young girl.DSB/PH END RNS