The Standing Committee, a majority of the Diocesan Council, and most priests in the diocese, now want Bennison gone. He has resisted all efforts to have him either resign or retire.

The Rev. Marek Zabriskie, rector of St. Thomas Whitemarsh, a prestigious parish near Philadelphia, said the National Church and all dioceses must use utter transparency when they are aware that there are clear and substantiated allegations, about clergy misconduct and/ or failure to report such conduct. "Bishop Bennison told me personally that he was never asked nor volunteered any information about his brother. That is a morally culpable act. He has also had convenient memory loss about the situation. He was reportedly asked by Bishop Hobson, of the national church office, whether he would have handled the situation differently had it come up again, Bennison said he would and was given a pass. We have demanded resignation from Roman Catholic leaders, but we seem unable to hold our own leaders accountable to the same level of behavior. How can we follow someone who has not protected the flock?"

A report last year, by Bishop Clayton Matthews from the national church's Office of Pastoral Development, recommended that Bennison resign in the face of his overwhelming and massive incompetence, division, bad faith, the loss of trust by many of his priests, and his denial as to the serious nature and profound affects of this conflict. They all believed this makes it impossible for Bennison to recoup or stay. He has refused to resign or retire.

At the last diocesan convention, there were repeated calls from the floor, mainly from liberal clergy, asking Bennison to resign. He steadfastly refused, calling for a period of reconciliation and healing to pursue "together" a rigorous long-term process addressing problems in the diocese.

No such process has been established. Meanwhile, the diocese is sinking deeper into financial debt as parishes close. The diocese could not pay its annual $700,000 assessment to the national church.

Even the Diocesan Council, which earlier voted to not support the Standing Committee in their decision to call for the Bishop's resignation, is now in favor of his removal, VOL was told.

A combination of factors including a breakdown in trust (a systematic dismantling of independent voices in financial matters; withholding of important information; and the Bishop's consistent refusal to consult with others on major actions that impact the welfare of the Diocese;) and the withholding of financial information (not receiving vital information requested of from the Bishop; reclassifying documents; manipulating reports, creating Diocesan indebtedness and the allocation of unrestricted net assets,) which the Bishop has failed to address with the Standing Committee.

Even his Black clergy want him gone. One Black priest died in the course of Bennison's insistence on closing his parish. His wife, a clergyperson, directly blamed Bennison for his death.

The diocesan situation has deteriorated into an ugly battle resulting in presentment charges being filed with the national church and civil litigation in the secular courts by Fr. David L. Moyer of the Church of the Good Shepherd (Rosemont) who accused the bishop of fraud and bad faith for "inhibiting" and deposing Moyer, an Anglo-Catholic priest.

With civil litigation in the secular court made necessary by Bennison's fraudulent denial of a church trial for Fr. Moyer, Bennison now faces a jury trial where the Standing Committee members; Frank Griswold, former Presiding Bishop; and Bennison will be compelled to testify. The Standing Committee recently re-affirmed their statements to Bishop Matthews that they, too, were defrauded by Bennison, in the Moyer case. He cannot ignore the Moyer trial.

Unable to unseat Bennison, but clearly anxious to see him gone, representatives of the Standing Committee visited the national church offices in New York this week to complain, yet again, about how Bennison's runs the diocese and to plead for his removal from office.

The Standing Committee, meeting with both David Booth Beers, the church's attorney, his assistant (from his law firm), had a full, frank discussion regarding their complaint, a source told VOL. "We feel confident that our commitment will be conveyed to the Presiding Bishop, when she returns from her travels."

END