Is the Episcopal House of Bishops a Modern Day Brood of Vipers?

COMMENTARY

By David W. Virtue, DD

www.virtueonline.org

December 21, 2024

It should be apparent, even to the feeblest minded, that the Episcopal Church’s House of Bishops is hiding a modern day ‘brood of vipers” increasingly being exposed as corrupt, as they fail to do their sworn duty to teach and uphold wholesome doctrine, and to banish and drive away all erroneous and strange opinions.

Their egregious behavior in upholding sexual positions especially and including homosexual marriage is contrary to scripture is just part of the problem.

What is emerging now, courtesy of the feisty blogger Anglican Watch, are bishops who have deliberately turned a deaf ear and the cries of those abused by clergy and their own behavior, all the while these same bishops sanctimoniously uphold diversity raising holy hands of inclusion in the name of their revisionist god.

But their days might be numbered. The new incoming Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe is showing some cojones when it comes to bad boy and bad girl bishops.

A case in point is his clamp down on the former Bishop of Rochester Prince Singh, of whom it might be said showed nothing princely about his person or diocesan reign.

He might have gotten away with the abuse of his wife and two sons under former Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, but Rowe has confronted his behavior head on and has suspended him for three years from ministry, holding him personally responsible and accountable for his appalling behavior.

Singh, an Indian, got his head handed to him when his two sons wrote a letter to then presiding bishop Michael Curry about their father’s abuse of their mother, a woman he later divorced only to return to India to find an old flame and beat it back to America for his pension and other episcopal goodies. Curry cowardly recused himself thinking perhaps it would all go away, all the while preaching emotional love sermons, making a mockery of the very love that demands accountability.

Todd Ousley, the worst intake officer in the church’s history, and recently dumped by Rowe, buried it all hoping that it would all go away.

But the sons persisted and went public with knowledge of their father’s abusive behavior. Rowe took up the case and Singh was raked over the coals and told to repent, something bishops are exceedingly bad at doing, largely because they think they are closer to God because their miters point in a heavenly direction.

But Rowe nailed him. Here is what he has done.

He has suspended Bishop Singh for three years in settlement of two of the Title IV clergy disciplinary cases against him.

Per the terms of the disciplinary agreement, reinstatement is neither automatic nor guaranteed but rather predicated on the successful completion of mental health and substance abuse treatment and counseling about the appropriate use of power and authority. 

Specific provisions under the accord per a letter from Rowe:

·  Be suspended from ministry for at least three more years. The suspension will conclude only when I am satisfied he is fit for ministry.

·  Undergo a thorough psychiatric and psychological assessment conducted by a professional in the United States designated by me.

·  Participate in truth-telling work related to both sets of allegations.

·  Participate in psychological work, education, and training in domestic abuse as required by me in consultation with a psychological professional.

·  Participate in psychological work, education, and training in anger management, as required by me in consultation with a psychological professional.

·  Participate in psychological work, education, and training in proper exercise of authority, as required by me in consultation with a psychological professional.

·  Undertake work addressing his relationship with alcohol and its behavioral consequences in a program approved by me.

·  Undertake work to address reputational harm suffered by people in the Diocese of Rochester as appropriate.

·  Make visits and apologies to people, congregations, and other groups whom I identify and who are willing.

·  Participate in education and training in Title IV values, process, and procedures.

Some of the specific Title IV allegations against Singh are now online and can be found here. https://www.anglicanwatch.com/bishop-singh-suspended-for-three-years-as-the-episcopal-church-shows-a-glimmer-of-integrity/

To my knowledge No presiding bishop in living memory has been this aggressive. Score one for the youngest presiding bishop in episcopal history socking it to one of the oldest bishops in the church. No love sermons here.

But Singh is not the only offender. There are a number of bishops who should be brought up on Title IV charges reported by Anglican Watch. They include: Todd Ousley, Michael Curry, Glenda Curry, and Alan Gates, along with many other Episcopal bishops who are equally guilty of Title IV shenanigans, including knowingly mishandling complaints.

Among these bishops are:

·  Clay Mathews, whose behavior during his tenure in the Office of Pastoral Development was every bit as feckless as that of piece-o’-snot Todd Ousley.

·  Alan Gates, who has knowingly brushed off allegations of criminal conduct by clergy in his diocese and gravely mishandled the Anderson case at Church of the Advent.

·  Shannon Johnston, who repeatedly ignored the requirements of Title IV, ranging from the need for a pastoral response to simply saying, “I don’t want to get involved,” even in the face of allegations of criminal conduct by clergy. He also covered up allegations of sexual harassment of an adult woman by Episcopal priest Stephen McWhorter, then canonically resident in the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia.

·  George Sumner, whose retaliation against Episcopal priest Rich Daly, support for the sexual harassment of an adult woman, and his deliberate mishandling of an ensuing Title IV complaint warrant immediate suspension. Meanwhile, the Title IV case against Sumner, which was filed with the appropriate intake officer more than a year ago, still has not even cleared the intake phase.

·  Susan Goff, who has refused to forward allegations of criminal conduct by clergy under her supervision to the diocesan intake officer.

·  Jennifer Brooke-Davidson, who also has refused to forward allegations of criminal conduct by clergy under her supervision to the diocesan intake officer.

·  Chilton Knudsen, who has held as acting bishop diocesan, that allegations of criminal conduct by a priest are not “of weighty and material importance to the ministry of the church.” She also has refused to report child sexual abuse to law enforcement on two known occasions.

·  Gayle Harris, who has refused to forward allegations of criminal conduct by clergy to her diocesan intake officer.

·  Paula Clark, who continues to sandbag allegations of perjury by Episcopal priest Will Bouvel.

Additionally, myriad canons to the ordinary, intake officers, and disciplinary board members, including Bill Parnell, Rob Morpeth, Melissa Hollerith, and others, need to make themselves scarce or be defrocked.

The days of episcopal wine and roses is clearly over. A new dawn has dawned under a new presiding bishop. And he is not prepared to sweep the sins of episcopal bishops under the rug. We will watch with interest to see where it is all going.

END