More than two years ago, Anglican Watch editor Eric Bonetti and another individual filed Title IV clergy disciplinary complaints against Dallas bishop George Sumner. The original complaint filed by Bonetti was received by Bishop Todd Ousley, then the national intake officer for bishops, via email, who acknowledged receipt of the complaint. When that sailed off into oblivion, multiple follow-ups were sent, including to national intake officer Barb Kempf.
To date, the church has taken no action to address the complaint. That is unethical and undercuts the church’s claim to any moral authority.
As a result, a follow-up that was sent earlier today and copied both Todd Ousley and Bishop Nick Knisely, who chairs the disciplinary board for bishops. A copy of the email follows.
Among the allegations:
- Bishop George Sumner, acting in collusion with David Halt, the rector of St. James, Texarkana, engaged in retaliation against the Rev. Rich Daly for forwarding a complaint about sexual harassment to the Diocese. Specifically, Sumner forced Daly from his job, later falsely telling parishioners that Daly had resigned.
- The informal complaint filed by Daly with the Diocese accurately alleged that former St. James rector Douglas Anderson sexually harassed an adult female who worked for a non-profit connected with the parish. At the time, Anderson was married and in a position of authority/control over the adult woman. Anderson had sexual contact with his victim.
- A subsequent anonymous Title IV complaint against Halt for his role in the retaliation was dismissed out of hand, and in violation of the provisions of Title IV, by Sumner.
- Sumner improperly brought the diocesan chancellor, a member of St. James, into the Title IV process. The chancellor acted unethically by assisting Sumner in the cover-up.
- Both sexual harassment and retaliation against anyone opposing sexual harassment are expressly forbidden under the Title IV clergy disciplinary canons.
- David Halt continues to lie to parishioners about his actions, and those of Sumner,
- Despite a Title IV case against Anderson for lying about his actions in this matter — which he undeniably did — Sumner flew to Church of the Advent in Boston to preach at the church and provide implicit air cover to Anderson.
Anglican Watch rejects the Episcopal Church’s cover-up and stonewalling on this issue, including Massachusetts bishop Alan Gate’s efforts to sandbag and prolong the Title IV case against Anderson—which tellingly culminated the day after Anderson’s retirement vested.
Moreover, we call on Barb Kempf and other church officials to act with integrity, or resign. There is no excuse for sexual harassment or retaliation. Sumner needs to face discipline, and David Halt needs to go, post haste.
Finally, the Episcopal Church has some serious restitution that it owes to Daly, a retired Chicago police officer with an impeccable record of personal and professional integrity.
In addition, the church’s abysmal handling of this situation undoubtedly has caused further trauma to the original victim in this matter. As far as we can tell, she gets zip, nada, nothing. The perpetrator gets paid for more than a year to do nothing, gets one million in legal bills paid for by those whose trust he abused, and he vests his retirement.
In what sane planet does this situation make sense?
Before we close, we note a widely held view, which is that the denomination isn’t willing to hold Sumner to the same standard as other bishops on the basis that he’s considered an orthodox Anglican. In other words, the denomination has blasted through a heap of cash in the property recovery litigation and doesn’t want to spend anything more.
If that is accurate, we recognize that sometimes it makes sense to let sleeping dogs lie. But that argument holds little water when the end result violates the Baptismal Covenant and involves the sexual harassment of an adult woman.
As for claims that the church should, in fact, take a pass on Sumner’s conduct, then all we can say is that Sean Rowe and the rest of the so-called leadership of the denomination need to have the backbone to call a spade a spade. If there’s one standard for orthodox Anglicans, and another for persons who hold differing views, then let’s say that, and articulate how someone qualifies for the okay-to-engage-in-sexual-harassment category.
Otherwise, every miscreant and creepster in TEC will suddenly claim to be orthodox when caught in sexual misconduct. Or retaliation. Or any other form of bad behavior.
And, of course, if the church really is running a two-track standard for clergy depending on the worldview of the bishop, then the church has formally made organizational survival its priority, versus serving God.
Even more ironic is that friends who truly are orthodox Anglicans have long regarded Sumner with suspicion, as he talks a good game, but his behavior seems grossly at variance with his claims.
No matter how we parse it, the Sumner debacle reflects a sorry state of affairs.
A screen cap of our email follows:
Leave a Reply