Regular readers will be familiar with our references to an excellent book on church misconduct written by The Very Rev. Canon Dr. Robin Hammeal-Urban, Wholeness After Betrayal: Restoring Trust in the Wake of Misconduct. At the time of publication, Hammeal-Urban was the Canon for Mission Integrity for the Diocese of Ct. The book is excellent and reflects…
Additional details continue to come to light regarding the Douglas Anderson Title IV case. These details include allegations of ongoing misconduct and bullying/shunning of members of the Church of the Advent who support gender equality. Among the details that recently emerged: We have confirmed that the victim of sexual harassment in Texarkana has documentation that Anderson lied…
Earlier today, the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts posted some relevant documents in the Douglas Anderson Title IV case. That’s good news, as the public has the right to be informed about allegations of clergy misconduct. Moreover, transparency engenders trust and accountability, both sorely lacking in clergy discipline in DioMass. True to form, it is allegations…
We live in a society in which communication is almost instantaneous. And with social media, much communication is inaccurate, incomplete, or untruthful. Yet when it comes to the Title IV clergy disciplinary process, many dioceses remain firmly entrenched in a Madmen-era time warp of “no comment,” or ignoring the media altogether. Handling things in this…
Editor: Earlier today, we heard back from Nancy Gossling, president of the hearing panel, who pointed us to the diocesan communications person. We have not heard back from her. Hopefully the hearing panel will redact names as needed, while promptly fulfilling the canonical requirements of posting all documents filed by or with the hearing panel….
There’ve been additional developments in the Tommie Lee Watkins Title IV disciplinary case in Alabama. These include a flurry of pre-trial motions and procedural matters, culminating in a hearing. Anglican Watch remains deeply concerned about selective enforcement of Title IV in this case, given Watkins’ status as the only openly gay black priest in the…
The following goes live on the Religion News Service newswire at 2:00 PM eastern, January 23, 2023. Anglican Watch, the online watchdog for the Episcopal Church, and the Episcopal Survivors Network, an advocacy group for victims of abuse, today joined in calling for the Episcopal Church to repent of its role in ignoring and tacitly condoning abuse. “We…
It’s been rightly said that I am bad at self-disclosure. In an effort to address that, and to possibly offer something of value to others this holiday season, I’m writing about my experiences with non-sexual abuse and the resulting depression and post-traumatic stress syndrome arising from the conduct of my former priest, Bob Malm. Context…
The Episcopal Diocese of Virginia is ignoring denomination-wide abuse prevention policies almost four years after their required adoption date. The requirements include adoption of updated Policies for the Protection of Children and Youth. Additionally, adoption of Policies for the Protection of Vulnerable Adults is required. Both must be based on the Model Policies developed by…
You have to hand it to the Episcopal Church: it may be a tiny denomination, but it generates heroic volumes of paper. Mountains. Heaps. Rivers of paper. But buried deep within this year’s Blue Book are the results of a survey on abuse towards LGBTQ+ persons that is both alarming and appalling. The study is part…
In the wake of the sex abuse scandals in the Catholic church and the SBC, ever wonder how other denominations are responding? In the case of the Episcopal Church, the reaction typically is to continue sipping Chardonnay, nibbling Brie, and to say, “Thank goodness. WE dealt with that long ago,” with a slight smirk. But…
Title IV is the canonical framework for clergy discipline in the Episcopal Church. And while it’s constantly being tweaked and re-tweaked, there is a fundamental problem with Title IV. Simply put, the problem is that it does not fully appreciate the importance of disclosure and truth-telling, and leaves victims of clergy abuse open to retaliation….
Over the past year or so, we’ve seen the Roman Catholic Church suffer a devastating hit due to its handling of sexual misconduct. Similarly, the Southern Baptist Convention has had its own scandal, resulting in declining trust and plummeting membership. And the Church of England has been rocked to its very core by the recent…
Church governance geeks in the Episcopal Church heard earlier this week that the ironically named Bishop Love of the diocese of Albany has been found guilty by a Title IV hearing panel of violating general convention resolution B012, which requires all bishops to permit same-sex marriage in their dioceses. As one of the first same-sex…
As I travel the cyber highways and byways of the Episcopal Church and other denominations, one thing is becoming clear: Social distancing is becoming ugly. And while there are myriad wrinkles to this phenomena, I’m thinking particularly of situations in which church staff and volunteers are being pushed against their will to resume in-person services….
Despite coming from differing faith traditions, DeDe Duncan-Probe and Blase Cupich understand abuse and how to heal.
Years ago, activists within The Episcopal Church began clamoring for the development of programs to prevent and address sexual misconduct. The move came at a time when the church was struggling to find ways to include those who historically had been marginalized on the basis of gender, national origin, sexual orientation, and other criteria. Many…