Unofficial Watchdog of the Episcopal Church
The old saying about the devil being in the details is often true. And it’s never as true as when we consider proposals to redeem a corrupt clergyperson like Anne Turner, whom the Diocese of Virginia suspended a year ago for adultery from her position as rector of Grace Episcopal
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Disclosure: Anglican Watch editor Eric Bonetti is a former member of Grace Episcopal Church. Grace Episcopal Church in Alexandria, VA, has invited rector Anne Turner to return to ministry following the Diocese of Virginia’s suspension of her for adultery. While Diocesan officials have approved the decision, Anglican Watch believes it is unwise
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More than two years ago, Anglican Watch editor Eric Bonetti and another individual filed Title IV clergy disciplinary complaints against Dallas bishop George Sumner. The original complaint filed by Bonetti was received by Bishop Todd Ousley, then the national intake officer for bishops, via email, who acknowledged receipt of the complaint. When
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In early 2024, Episcopal priest Nicholas Szobota, rector of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Colonial Beach, Virginia, pleaded guilty to two felony counts of embezzlement, one misdemeanor account of embezzlement, and two felony counts of using a computer to commit embezzlement. Victims include St. Mary’s and the Colonial Beach Volunteer
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These days, there’s not much coming out of Texas that we like. But local Texas officials got it right when they arrested a former teacher and the Head of School at St. John’s Episcopal School in Abilene. Local media report that last July police arrested former St. John’s teacher Kelsey Alexander and Head
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The Episcopal Church is not the only denomination in which corrupt responses to abuse are causing financial and membership declines. Indeed, in a recent announcement, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) shared plans to sell its Nashville-based world headquarters following massive expenditures due to decades of ignoring abuse, silencing victims, resisting
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According to local media, Davidson County District Attorney Glenn Funk routinely violates constitutional rights by secretly recording meetings between defendants and their attorneys, as well as other visitors to Funk’s offices. The reports are based on a scathing Tennessee comptroller’s office report, which was developed in conjunction with the Tennessee
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The Tycho Supernova – NASA Reprinted with permission from The Wartburg Watch. Original here. Should be required reading for Bishop Lucinda Ashby and her minions at the Diocese of El Camino Real — and everyone else who thinks that having a sex offender policy is adequate to protect minors and
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We weren’t planning on a post today, as it’s a grey, rainy Monday morning. But this image of an email between Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti and Governor Bill Lee about the death of Grant Solomon crossed our desks this morning, and it’s worth covering. The Gallatin goofy loop At
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The Episcopal Church has announced a very limited number of in-person attendees for the investiture of incoming presiding bishop Sean Rowe, set for November 2 and held in the 129-seat Chapel of Christ the Lord in The Episcopal Church Center in New York City. Touted as including “diverse representation from
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Not surprisingly, Anglican Watch gets a lot of emails. These emails run the gamut, from tips about abusive conduct to people with needs we cannot address to folks trying to threaten us into taking down adverse information. In fact, there are so many we cannot hope to answer them all. But there
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David Valencia, a former Anglican priest who was sentenced to prison and required to register as a sex offender following a conviction for sexually assaulting a teenaged girl, has resurfaced in Florida. Sources tell Anglican Watch that Valencia moved to Florida from Ligonier, PA, after local residents realized that he was
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Ever work at an organization in crisis? A place where things are so bad that the only thing to do is to start over? If so, you’ll feel a sense of déjà vu when you learn that sources close to the matter tell Anglican Watch that Grace Chapel, located in
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Narrow Gate is a Tennessee-based, evangelical wilderness program ministry that works with young men 18 – 25 who are seeking to “Discover a Life That Matters.” But the group’s slogan, “Identity. Passion. Purpose.,” took on a whole new meaning when we recently learned that the organization is hosting an event celebrating
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As we move into fall, there are several stories Anglican Watch is working on. We expect a major breaking story, possibly in the next few days, involving a key religious leader outside the Episcopal Church. Stay tuned! September 10 marks the start of the Dan McClain divorce trial, which we likely
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The following is reprinted by permission from Christa Brown’s excellent publication, In Solidarity. A victim of abuse in the Southern Baptist Convention, Brown has been a forerunner in the drive for accountability. She is the author of Baptistland: A Memoir of Abuse, Betrayal, and Transformation. ### The Texas Supreme Court erroneously released
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The Tennessee Star has released a PDF of one of Covenant shooter Audrey Hale’s journals, following lengthy efforts by victims’ families to prevent publication. The document, which we post below, is in places crude and graphic, while failing to answer many of the questions around the shooting, including whether Hale
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TLD: It’s time for Bishop Lucinda Ashby and ECR Director of Communications Carole Bartolini to tender their resignations As the scandal grows over Episcopal Bishop Lucinda Ashby’s handling of a registered sex offender in her diocese, Anglican Watch is increasingly concerned about the Diocese of El Camino Real (ECR) and its misleading
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Media today responded to reports, first covered on Anglican Watch, that Bishop Lucinda Ashby and the Diocese of El Camino Real mishandled the presence of a registered sex offender at a church within the Diocese. Anglican Watch stands by its reporting and reiterates that both the Diocese and Ashby failed
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The following is reprinted with permission from friend Shannon Ashley’s wonderful SubStack publication, The Truth Hurts. Please consider supporting Shannon, a single mother who is struggling with a variety of health challenges. She is a dear and loyal friend. Apropos Phil Williams and his claim that Angie Solomon is “crazy,”
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Recently, we covered the Title IV clergy disciplinary complaint filed against San Diego Bishop Susan Brown Snook. Today’s post is an update on that situation. Sources close to the matter tell Anglican Watch that the intake officer for bishops, the Rev. Barb Kempf, dismissed the matter. An appeal appears imminent. But there’s
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Anglican Watch has received a copy of a Title IV complaint filed with the national church against Bishop Susan Brown Snook (“Bishop Susan” or “Snook”) of the Diocese of San Diego. The complaint, filed by leaders of a parish in her diocese, alleges a variety of actions by Snook that have:
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In its response to a recent article in the Christian Post about its bungled response to a child sexual predator, the Episcopal Diocese of El Camino Real and Bishop Lucinda Ashby again demonstrated a lack of integrity and accountability on issues involving the presence of a registered sex offender at one or more
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If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality. Desmond Tutu If an elephant has its foot
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It’s long been a fundamental tenet within private companies that illegal conduct by an employee can and should result in immediate termination. Yet the Episcopal Church, which far too often treats Title IV, the clergy disciplinary canon, as the only solution to clergy misconduct, almost invariably ignores criminal conduct and
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Recently, Anglican Watch passed along to Reynoldsburg City Schools our profound concerns about the possibility that Dan McClain will teach in the schools. The response, while unsurprising, illustrates profound problems with the school system and Dr. Tracy Reed, the school system superintendent. To be clear, we were careful to flag the fact
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