Updated July 7 with the addition of the Rt. Rev. Peter H. Beckwith and the Rt. Rev. John W. Howe
Seven of the nine bishops accused of violating the church’s canons have responded in an open letter to the House of Bishops and addressed to Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori.
“We write to address allegations that have been made against us — both those made by Bishops Ohl and Buchanan in their letter of yesterday and unknown others made in Title IV disciplinary complaints that we have not seen,” the bishops say in their four-page letter. “Bishops Ohl and Buchanan have asked that the record be set straight. That is our intention in this letter.”
The House of Bishops met in closed-door session, with the Presiding Bishop’s chancellor present, during the afternoon. The bishops have not completed their discussion of the matter.
The full letter of the accused bishops follows.
Matthew Townsend is a Halifax-based freelance journalist and volunteer advocate for survivors of sexual misconduct in Anglican settings. He served as editor of the Anglican Journal from 2019 to 2021 and communications missioner for the Anglican Diocese of Quebec from 2019 to 2022. He and his wife recently entered catechism class in the Orthodox Church in America.
