In Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises, the character Mike Campbell offers a quick explanation for how he became bankrupt: “Two ways,” he said. “Gradually and then suddenly.”
The same might be said of the timing behind Samuel Johnson Howard’s sudden departure from the Episcopal Church. Years-long tensions between Howard and clergy of the the Diocese of the Florida twice derailed the Rev. Charlie Holt from being approved after his election to succeed Howard.
After years of conflicts about same-sex marriage and which clergy should be granted voting rights at the diocese’s annual convention, two Title IV cases heightened the tensions. One case involved allegations that Howard discriminated against clergy based on their sexual orientation, while another charged him with wrongful handling of diocesan money.
By August of this year, the disciplinary hearing panel learned that Howard was declining to cooperate with Craig Merritt, the church attorney entrusted with prosecuting him.
Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe brought the protracted conflict to a sudden halt in the last weekend of September by signing an accord with Howard.
“Late last night [September 30], after he had signed the accord but before he had been notified of its approval [by the Disciplinary Board for Bishops], Bishop Howard wrote to me to request release and removal from ordained ministry in The Episcopal Church under Canon III.12.8 in the event that the accord were to be approved,” Rowe wrote in a letter to the diocese on October 1 that announced the accord.
“This request was not related to the accord in any way, and the decision was entirely his. This morning, as required by canon, my Council of Advice and I accepted this request. As of today, John has been released and removed from ordained ministry in our church.”
In describing his reasons for reaching the accord, Rowe cited the emotional, spiritual, and financial costs of the Title IV cases.
“As the hearing panel processes have gained momentum, the pain of these last several years has been compounded by the human and financial toll of preparing for them. Current and former leaders and officers of your diocese and the diocesan foundation have been required to devote considerable time, energy, and money to satisfy discovery, deposition, and other hearing panel demands. The matter has, in recent weeks, become a significant distraction to the good work you are doing to reinvigorate healthy systems and structures,” he wrote.
He added: “The Title IV proceedings against Bishop Howard have also placed a burden on the rest of the church. The churchwide structure has already spent more than $100,000 in legal fees and other associated costs for these hearing panels and seeing them through to the end was estimated to cost several more hundreds of thousands of dollars—money that would not have been available for other mission and ministry.”
Rowe extended an apology to “the LGBTQ+ community and its allies” within Howard’s former diocese.
“John was your bishop for 20 years, and I acknowledge with gratitude his struggle in the early years of his episcopacy to keep the Diocese of Florida in The Episcopal Church during a time of schism and dissension over matters of human sexuality. I am also mindful that in the ensuing decades, as The Episcopal Church has prayed, studied, and discerned the evidence of God’s blessing in the lives and love of LGBTQ+ siblings in Christ, John’s approach did not serve equally well all contexts of the diocese’s ministry and caused deep pain for many.
“For those painful years and the harm that came from them, I offer my deep and heartfelt apology to the LGBTQ+ community and its allies in the Diocese of Florida and across The Episcopal Church, and to all who have been harmed by the last several years of unrest and division in the diocese.”
Comments have been slow in appearing on an unofficial and popular Facebook page about the diocese, but the initial reception of Rowe’s news has been critical in varying degrees.
“I feel betrayed,” the Rev. Susan Gage wrote, citing Psalm 146 on not trusting human rulers.
“Quite the precedent to set,” Brad Farmer wrote. “For the positive or negative it sets a foundation for how our new Bishop can or can’t carry themselves on a day to day basis.”
“If reconciliation is the goal in this case, we’d better start looking at reconciliation across the board,” Brian Moody wrote. “It’s hypocritical to uphold reconciliation as a goal if we continue to allow anyone in the diocese to languish and be excluded. Let’s do better.”
The accord in Howard’s case continues a pattern of Bishop Rowe, who has repeatedly used accords to conclude long-simmering Title IV cases. In doing so, he has spared the church from public trials and possible depositions of accused bishops. These accords have affected bishops Marc Andrus (California), and Prince Singh (Rochester as diocesan, Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan in retirement). He also endorsed a decision by Santosh Marray (Easton) to retire early after a reference panel concluded Marray’s Title IV process with a pastoral response.
Rowe acknowledged that various Episcopalians in the Diocese of Florida will be troubled by his decision.
“The goals of Title IV include healing, forgiveness and reconciliation, and I grieve that at this stage, we cannot achieve those goals with your former bishop. My hope is in Christ, and I will not stop praying that John may be reconciled to you. What we can do now is promote the goals of Title IV—especially continued healing, forgiveness, and reconciliation—within your diocese and between your diocese and the wider church, and that is the path we have chosen by reaching this accord,” he wrote.
“I understand you may have comments, questions, or concerns about this decision. I hope that you will let me know by emailing Rebecca Wilson at rwilson@episcopalchurch.org.”
Douglas LeBlanc is an Associate Editor and writes about Christianity and culture. He and his wife, Monica, attend St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Henrico, Virginia.
