Check it out: Grace Episcopal Alexandria legal pleadings

As many are aware, Anglican Watch had its genesis in misconduct by the Rev. Bob Malm, currently serving as interim of St. Peters-on-the-Canal in Bourne, Ma., and his efforts to engage in spiritual abuse by bullying and oppressing Anglican Watch editor Eric Bonetti, his husband, and his mother, Sigrid Yahner, who was then in the final stages of COPD and suffering profoundly.

In fact, several kiddingly refer to this site as Bob’s one great accomplishment. Maybe it is.

Unfortunately, in cases of spiritual abuse like this, many parishioners will join the rector and pile on. Nor does it stop there; the conduct of Bishops Shannon Johnston and Susan Goff have been utterly unethical. Among those involved, including their their roles as gossips:

Kemp Williams
Lisa Medley (who drove past Bonetti in her white Acura and gave him the double middle finger, moments after leaving Mass. Guess an hour was just longer than she could bare.
Lucy Medley — who, in addition to homophobia, urged Bonetti to commit suicide. A sure sign of a problematic childhood.
Alison Campbell — world champion player of mean girl games with the altar guild.
Jeff Chiow (who even filed a false police report against Bonetti, along with spoliation of evidence [hiding adverse documents] and fabrications, like claiming Bonetti is a “domestic terrorist.”)

Others have more complex roles. For instance, Anne Turner, the current rector, is uniquely positioned to either confirm or deny Malm’s allegations that Bonetti is “dysfunctional,” “threatening and violent.” If these claims are true, she should have no problem saying so. If they are false, as a Christian she is obligated to say so. It’s called “resisting injustice and oppression.”

Others are victims. Fanny Belanger, for example, allegedly experienced spiritual abuse from Malm, resulting in her quitting early. Predictably, Malm announced it was based on “personal reasons.” But Belanger had complained to both the vestry and the diocese, only to be ignored. Big surprise, that.

In other areas, church counsel is, um, misinformed. For instance, Matthew Youssef falsely claims that the church and school are separate legal entities. They are not. Similarly, he falsely told the court that I sued the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania. Absolutely false. Have never had contact with the diocese. Don’t want to.

As to Youssef’s claims Bonetti needed to get more information for this blog, it is doing just fine on its own, thank you.

Relatedly, attorney Wayne Cyron, who allows his law clerks to file pleadings under their own names (something about the unauthorized practice of law), tried to rattle Bonetti’s cage by telling the courts that he blogged under the names of siblings. Curiously, Cyron made that claim almost exactly 25 years to the day of the anniversary of his only brother’s death, and ignored a request for an apology and a retraction. Not to mention that there is no tort for posting under any name you want. Hope you have lots of time to go to confession this Lent, Wayne.

And if the defense wants to pull in testimony from some of these individuals (including Kelly Gable’s letter to Malm, which Chiow previously had concealed, and while accuses Bonetti, inter alia, of being an embezzler), then it is fair to inquire into Kelly’s veracity. Given her various inaccuracies, her misconduct in the workplace, her questionable relationship with alcohol, and her claims she was sexually molested by her father, who later committed suicide, these are all relevant. Perhaps church attorneys should have thought more carefully about their conduct and what they included in their pleadings.

See for yourself the behind-the-scenes in this truly ugly toxic church, and Anne Turner’s lack of integrity. But lack of integrity is far too common in the Episcopal Church, and many bishops simply can’t be bothered to address these issues.

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