Bishop Hahn's moral failure came to light earlier this year at which time the Lexington bishop had to own up to his faults and failing, not only to Presiding Bishop Curry and his wife, Kaye, but also to the people of the Diocese of Lexington, which turned to him for spiritual and moral leadership.

"Several years ago -- long before I was your bishop -- I engaged in an inappropriate sexual relationship with an adult woman parishioner. I was wrong, and I have regretted it ever since," Bishop Hahn wrote on March 14 to his "Sisters and Brothers" in the Diocese of Lexington, five days after the Presiding Bishop inhibited him.

"I ended the affair, confessed my sin to a priest, and worked with a therapist to understand and heal my out-of-character breach in behavior," Bishop Hahn explained in his mea culpa letter. "I asked for forgiveness from the other party and, in time, believed the matter was resolved. Beyond my confessor and therapist, I did not reveal this matter, believing that to do so would cause greater harm to my wife, Kaye, other persons, and other communities."

Bishop Hahn continues: "A few months ago this matter came to light and was passed to the Presiding Bishop's office. I confessed to Kaye and to Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and together we have sought a healing and reconciling way forward. Many people, including you, have been hurt by my behavior and their consequences. I am sorry and I ask for your forgiveness ..."

Bishop Hahn hails from Georgia. He is a convert to The Episcopal Church, after having been an ordained Baptist minister. He picked up his M.Div. at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. Originally ordained as a Baptist minister, he first served as chaplain at New Orleans Baptist Hospital. and then as the assistant minister at Morningside Baptist Church in Atlanta. While in Georgia, he became involved with the Atlanta Baptist Association Home Mission Board and eventually went on to be active in the Buckhead Christian Community Ministry, a coalition of Baptists, Catholics, Methodists, Lutherans, Presbyterians and Episcopalians banding together to provide emergency assistance to those in the greater Atlanta area.

In 1996, he picked up a Diploma in Anglican Studies from General Theological Seminary and went on to be ordained an Episcopal priest. He also picked up a Doctor of Ministry in Pastoral Leadership from Sewanee.

As an Episcopal cleric, he served as an associate at St. George's Episcopal Church in Griffin, Georgia, eventually becoming rector of St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Columbus, Georgia. That was a position he held for more than a decade before being elected the Episcopal bishop in Lexington.

Apparently, Bishop Hahn's adulterous affair happened after he became an Episcopal priest and not while he was still a Baptist minister. Nevertheless, the affair, once it became known, became his undoing, as well as his stonewalling and cover up during the election vetting process.

Now the Lexington Standing Committee is asking Presiding Bishop Curry to implement Canon III.12.12, seeking the Dissolution of a Pastoral Relationship between a Bishop and Diocese based upon the fact that more than 2/3 of the Standing Committee are calling for such an action following a lengthy discernment process.

Title III: Canon 12 regulates the Life and Work of an Episcopal Bishop with Section 12 delineating how a diocese and its bishop can part ways and achieve an ecclesial "divorce."

Following Bishop Hahn's suspension, the Presiding Bishop met with the Standing Committee and asked it to "discern the future of the Diocese with Bishop Hahn."

The Standing Committee then instigated a diocese-wide process of "thoughtful reflection and discernment" to determine how to proceed. In the meanwhile, a special convention was held to secure a provisional bishop to provide episcopal sacramental care and leadership to fill the vacuum created by Bishop Hahn's abrupt departure. The lots cast fell at the feet of retired Bishop Bruce Caldwell (VIII Wyoming), who agreed to come out of retirement and be Lexington's provisional bishop during the duration in compliance with Canon III.13.

In discussing Bishop Hahn's moral failure with priests and laity, the Standing Committee found that a overwhelming percentage of those within the Diocese of Lexington forgave Bishop Hahn his personal sin, but indicated that they had lost their trust in their beleaguered bishop to lead them.

"The listening process revealed that most of the respondents have forgiven Bishop Hahn for his sexual misconduct," the Standing Committee wrote in an Oct. 13 letter to the Diocese. "However, 80% of those responding continue to struggle with his personal and professional deception and do not believe the integrity of the relationship with the Diocese can be restored."

Following the responses from the clergy and laity of the Diocese, the Lexington Standing Committee determined that: 1). Bishop Hahn was dishonest throughout the episcopal search process; 2). As a priest, Bishop Hahn abused his position of power when he committed sexual misconduct with a parishioner in violation of the Canons; and 3). the emotional and spiritual effort necessary to attempt restoration of the relationship would continue to divert significantly Diocesan focus and resources away from the mission and ministry to which we are called.

Therefore, the Standing Committee voted unanimously that it desires the dissolution of the pastoral relationship between Bishop Hahn and the Diocese of Lexington and have notified Presiding Bishop Curry and Bishop Hahn of its decision.

"We recognize that there are those in the Diocese, people we love and respect, that may not agree with this decision. They may be disappointed by it or even angered because of it," the Standing Committee acknowledged. "We believe we have done what is best for our Diocese. We will continue our commitment to the Gospel and the people of the Diocese of Lexington, working and communicating honestly and transparently."

The Standing Committee members who unanimously decided to sever the Diocese's relationship with its bishop include: The Rev. Peter D'Angio; David Johnson, the Rev. S. Matthew Young, SCP; Ms. Dale Chapman; the Rev. Paula Ott; and J. P. Brantley.

Bishop Hahn is hoping for reconciliation and to be able to return to the Diocese of Lexington as bishop.

"Now is the time for healing and reconciliation. Kaye and I have begun our work of healing, and we are on a strong path. I ask that you provide us privacy as we continue to do the work of repairing and strengthening our marriage," Bishop Hahn wrote in March. "Now I am facing the wider consequences of my actions. Through the canonical process of the church -- a process designed to help create healing and reconciliation -- Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and I have reached an "Accord", or agreement, that for a period of one year, I will step away from my ministry as Bishop of the Diocese and ordained leadership."

The bishop was using the time away from his Diocese as a time of healing to repent and reflect upon his misdeeds, thus ultimately hoping to return stronger and healthier.

"We have agreed that this should be a time of repentance, retreat and reflection. It will be a time of healing of hurts. I will spend this time doing whatever is possible to make this right with the Church," the inhibited bishop wrote. "Bishop Michael (Curry) and I, along with others involved in this process, reached this accord as brothers and sisters in Christ. We agree that this will allow me to return to my ministry as a stronger, healthier Bishop."

Now that Canon III:12.12 is to be implemented, the Episcopal House of Bishops and the House of Deputies will eventually be involved in the possible separation process.

Presiding Bishop Curry and HOD President Gay Clark Jennings are to develop a Special Committee of one priest, one lay person and one bishop to interview Bishop Hahn and his Standing Committee and conduct other inquiries stemming from the now stated irreconcilable differences between them. Then the special three-member committee is to report and make its a primary and secondary recommendation to the House of Bishops concerning the "nature, causes, and specifics of the unresolved disagreements or dissension imperiling the pastoral relationship."

Once the House of Bishops has the Special Committee's recommendation(s) to consider at its next regular (or special) HOB meeting, a 2/3 majority vote is necessary for the Special Committee's recommendation(s) to be adopted and put into place in any bishop's case.

The most recent House of Bishop's fall meeting occurred last month (Sept. 15-21) in Detroit, Michigan. The next regular HOB spring confab is scheduled for March 7-16, 201 at Kanuga, in North Carolina. At that time, the bishops are tentatively to hear about Bishop Hahn and his problems with the Diocese of Lexington.

If the Special Committee's recommendation is that Bishop Hahn and his Diocese are to continue in relationship, then criteria are put into place for responsibility and accountability. Should the recommendation be for the bishop and the diocese to part ways, then Bishop Hahn would be terminated as bishop ordinary of the Diocese of Lexington with the House of Bishops' secretary recording the dissolution. The terms and conditions of such a separation, along with a financial settlement, would have to be hammered out. (Currently, while Bishop Hahn is on suspension he is receiving no income from the Diocese of Lexington.)

In either event, Presiding Bishop Curry is to be responsible to provide pastoral care and supportive help to both Bishop Hahn and the Diocese of Lexington they move forward.

Standing Committee letter: http://diolex.org/blog/mainfeature/a-communication-from-the-standing-committee/

Mary Ann Mueller is a journalist living in Texas. She is a regular contributor to VirtueOnline