Episcopal court upholds Bennison decision

From the Philadelphia Inquirer-

A special court of the Episcopal Church announced yesterday that it has unanimously reaffirmed its decision to defrock the Rt. Rev. Charles E. Bennison Jr., 65, and remove him as bishop of the 55,000-member Diocese of Pennsylvania.
Bennison's lawyers said that they were disappointed and that he would appeal.

In June, following a four-day trial, a seven-member Court for the Trial of a Bishop found Bennison guilty on two charges of "conduct unbecoming a member of the clergy" for concealing his brother John's sexual abuse of a minor girl about 35 years ago.

John Bennison was the youth minister in his brother's parish in suburban Los Angeles, where the teenaged victim was a member. He became an Episcopal priest and served in the San Francisco diocese until 2006, when the abuse became public.

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