Press release: Church watchdog calls for resignation of St. Thomas Fifth Avenue Rector Carl Turner and Vicar Matthew Moretz
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The Episcopal Church’s leading church watchdog group is calling for the resignations of St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue rector, The Rev. Carl Turner, and vicar Matthew Moretz.
Anglican Watch, the church’s unofficial watchdog, is requesting the resignations following news that the church and various named individuals, including Diocese of New York Bishop Matthew Heyd, are being sued for over allegations of sexual assault and defamation per se. The suit alleges that, in response to the victim’s complaints of sexual assault, St. Thomas Church and the Diocese responded by retaliating against the alleged victim by barring him from the church and engaging in a defamatory smear campaign.
Now, roughly nine months later, Turner and the parish are finally taking the allegations seriously, but only after the filing of the lawsuit.
Meanwhile, one of the alleged assailants, Fr. Mark Schultz, remained in active ministry until a few days ago, despite having been arrested by the New York Police Department over these allegations.
“Both St. Thomas rector Carl Turner and vicar Matthew Moretz have had actual knowledge of these issues for almost nine months, but did nothing to address them. Additionally, both have engaged in retaliation, including an outrageous smear campaign directed at the victim,” says Anglican Watch official Eric Bonetti.
“Now, Turner dares to send an email to the parish, claiming that maintaining a safe church environment is ‘of paramount importance.’ But actions speak louder than words, and Turner and Moretz both are abusing the victim and trying to discredit him,” Bonetti continues.
“We therefore call on Turner and Moretz, and the St. Thomas wardens and vestry, to immediately resign. Similarly, bishop diocesan Matthew Heyd needs to resign.
“There is no excuse for the behavior we have seen coming from Turner and Moretz, and the fact that Schultz is openly gay and married to one of the other alleged perpetrators does not give him a pass. We will not tolerate abuse in the Episcopal Church,” concludes Bonetti.
Founded in 2015, Anglican Watch is the unofficial watchdog of the Episcopal Church. The organization addresses sexual and non-sexual abuse in the Episcopal Church and other faith communities.
I’m very sorry for members of St. Thomas and the alleged victim. It’s also good that you are sticking up for him.
Please don’t be offended, but still irate here over what looks like censorship by victim. We already have enough problems with free speech and too many Episcopal publications that won’t over allegations of sexual assault.
Thank you for all you guys do!!!!!!
Hi Sandy. Good to see you!
Thanks for your comments & support. Fear not — Eric is nothing if not capable of looking out for himself, LOL.
– Stink
Thank you very much for covering this story. I have been a member of St. Thomas since the early 90’s but since the pandemic have been mostly “attending” by webcast. It’s been absolutely heartbreaking to see how the church is losing in attendance. I have loved this church so very much, but Father Turner has been reckless with his leadership. I had absolutely no idea of what was happening, absolutely none! And this is causing me terrible heartbreak. Father Turner constantly injects politics into every single homily- always leftist politics. He doesn’t care about other people’s points of view, only proving that he’s part of the leftists circles, which does not feel heaven centered or Jesus centered. Last week he opened his sermon with “I didn’t agree with Charlie Kirk about ANYTHING…” which I found completely gauche and immediately turned the computer off. What a tacky man! And how not Christian or charitable. I have found him smug and a terrible preacher long before this sex scandal, but I vowed that I would outlast his tenure. I was there during Father Mead, a delightful man, and Father Andrew, also a joy.
Of course Father Turner and “Mother” Turner MUST go. They have simply used this church to enrich themselves. I have watched for years with sadness and shame. They constantly asked for money that they used to buy more tapestries (just look at any Sunday, it is a riot of color). I pray that the victims win a hefty fine. This wonderful church has endured fires and tragedies- but this awful British couple and sex pest are the worst tragedy of all.
Churches in other parts of the country are doing beautifully. Where I am originally from, in the middle of the country, there are multiple churches with congregations with 25,000 congregants. Father Turner needs to go to a serious prison for what he did. It was a crime. He should hang his head with shame. And to the victims- my prayers are with all of you. ✝️ I see childhood assault in the church akin to the murder of a little soul. This is truly as vile as it gets.
Thank you for your comment. I so very sorry that the church has let you and others down.
– Eric B., editor
Father Mead is such a dear friend. His son now has a parish in Pelham, NY (Westchester), and Fr. Mead himself is retired in RI.