Primate & Bishops' Synod v. Russian Orthodox Church of the Holy Resurrection, Inc.

This case involves a church property dispute, brought about by a decision of the defendant corporation to leave the plaintiff1, an umbrella organization of the Russian Orthodox Church outside of Russia (ROCOR), and join a different umbrella organization of the Orthodox Church. After a trial before a Superior Court judge, judgment entered for the defendants. The judge found that: (1) although ROCOR and the defendant parish were hierarchical in matters of faith and polity, the defendant parish was congregational in terms of property ownership, see Antioch Temple, Inc. v. Parekh, 383 Mass. 854,…