Anglican Watch calls on Episcopalians to withhold funds from Diocese of Massachusetts until it complies with state child abuse reporting laws

Anglican Watch, the leading watchdog organization for the Episcopal Church, today called on Episcopalians opposed to child sexual abuse to withhold donations from the Diocese of Massachusetts until the Diocese complies with state mandatory child abuse reporting laws.

The move comes after the Diocese refused to hold clergy accountable for failing to report historical child sex abuse allegations involving Episcopal priest Richard Losch, who is accused of taking boys across state lines in the 1970s in order to rape them.

Under Massachusetts law, clergy are mandated reporters unless the disclosure is made as part of a confession. Historical incidents also must be reported, which is essential, as other victims frequently come forward when a case becomes public.

Additionally, taking a child across state lines is a federal felony and not subject to a statute of limitation.

Anglican Watch filed a formal complaint with the Diocese of Massachusetts approximately a year ago, on the basis that church intake officers refused to respond appropriately to the allegations, including not complying with state mandatory reporting laws.

Similarly, then-Bishop Alan Gates also ignored the allegations against Losch.

When this publication received the Notice of Dismissal, we filed an appeal and issued a press release expressing our concerns about the Diocese’s refusal to obey the mandatory reporting statutes. We forwarded the press release to the Diocese and warned that we would pursue all appropriate recourse.

Now, following the Diocese’s dismissal of our appeal, which Bishop Julia E. Whitworth approved, Anglican Watch has filed a request for criminal investigation by the Massachusetts Attorney General. We have also reached out to other advocacy groups for support and filed a complaint with the US Department of Justice.

In the meantime, we ask all persons opposed to child sexual abuse to withhold funds from the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts until it complies with the state’s child abuse mandatory reporting laws. We also are asking Bishop Julia Whitworth and the diocesan Title IV intake officers to resign.

The recent trial of Richard Losch, held in New Hampshire, ended in a hung jury. Local sources tell Anglican Watch the case may be retried.

A copy of the Diocese’s dismissal of our appeal follows.