Prominent Fairfax church seeks to explain rector’s sudden departure

From Virginia-

There are competing explanations for why Tory Baucum abruptly resigned his position as the leader of the prominent Truro Anglican Church in November and has agreed not to set foot on the property since.

Baucum says that after years as an Anglican pastor, he made the decision to resign his clerical credentials and convert to Catholicism. Any tensions between him and the staff at the church in the Northern Virginia city of Fairfax, he says, were because of his “passion” for the theology of the late Catholic Pope John Paul II.

The staff say those tensions arose from causes that have little to do with Baucum’s theology. His behavior in the workplace, church leaders wrote in a summary of an investigative report, was “abusive,” “intimidating,” “coarse,” “vulgar” and “unpredictable.”

More here-

https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2020/02/21/prominent-fairfax-church-seeks-explain-rectors-sudden-departure/

Investigation continues into church fashion show scandal

From Trinidad-

The An­gli­can Church is still in­ves­ti­gat­ing the fi­as­co sur­round­ing the Style­Week Port-of-Spain fash­ion show at the Trin­i­ty Cathe­dral.

When con­tact­ed for an up­date on the sit­u­a­tion yes­ter­day, Bish­op of the An­gli­can Dio­cese of T&T Rev­erend Claude Berkley said the church was still com­pil­ing in­for­ma­tion on the in­ci­dent be­fore mak­ing a de­ci­sion.

“There has been no de­ci­sion. No de­ci­sion has yet been made. And the per­sons in­volved are pulling their ma­te­r­i­al to­geth­er. In­ves­ti­ga­tion, as I have in­di­cat­ed, is in progress and it has not been com­plet­ed,” said the Bish­op.

Bish­op Berkley, how­ev­er, re­mained tight-lipped on the mat­ter yes­ter­day, and pre­ferred that the church came to a firm de­ci­sion be­fore speak­ing fur­ther on the mat­ter.

“It is a very volatile sit­u­a­tion, it has been and prob­a­bly con­tin­ues to be and there­fore, let me have what is a doc­u­ment or some­thing that in­di­cates where we are,” he said.

More here-

https://www.guardian.co.tt/news/investigation-continues-into-church-fashion-show-scandal-6.2.992090.f2991759f0

Bishop decries fraudulent clerics

From Uganda-

Bishop of Soroti Diocese Hosea Odong has criticised what he called the extortionist behaviour among fellow bishops who fleece their flock to live a luxury life.

While preaching at the Iteso annual Church service at Namugongo Anglican Shrine yesterday, Bishop Odong said there are bishops whom Christians adore because they are living larger than life by fleecing their flock. He did not name the culpable bishops.

He also said many Christians nowadays attend Church but when they return home they revert to their satanic ways. 

More here-

https://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Bishop-decries-fraudulent-clerics-Christians-Odong/688334-5353470-1xoxcu/index.html

Anglican church apologises for fashion show

From Trinidad and Tobago-

THE ANGLICAN CHURCH issued a public apology to Anglicans, religious organisations and the general public for what they called “misuse” of the church.

This comes in the aftermath of a fashion show staged over the weekend at the Trinity Cathedral in Port of Spain.

The fashion show raised the ire of several religious bodies and members of the general public after images of scantily-clad women in the church displaying bikinis designed by locals began circulating on social media.

In the release, Bishop Claude Berkley said the church “missed the mark” with the show and what it featured, and expressed regret and remorse.

More here-

https://newsday.co.tt/2019/11/05/anglican-church-apologises-for-fashion-show/ 

and here

https://www.stabroeknews.com/2019/11/06/news/regional/trinidad/trinidad-anglican-bishop-begs-forgiveness-over-fashion-show-held-in-church/ 

and here-

http://www.looptt.com/content/anglican-bishop-condemns-fashion-show-it-should-have-been-shut-down 

and here-

https://news.power102fm.com/anglican-trustees-incorporated-issues-apology-following-widespread-condemnation-for-fashion-show-approval-at-cathedral-73468

Anglican Dean: ‘I tried to stop them’

From Trinidad and Tobago-

 Dean and Rec­tor at the Holy Trin­i­ty Cathe­dral, Rev­erend Shel­ley Ann Tenia said she was dis­ap­point­ed that the ac­tion of one de­sign­er taint­ed the pub­lic’s view of an event meant to help with the restora­tion of the Port-of-Spain church.

The church was dam­aged by a pow­er­ful earth­quake on Au­gust 21, 2018, dur­ing which the steeple of the church was bro­ken.

Three fash­ion shows were host­ed by Style­Week Port-of-Spain on Fri­day, Sat­ur­day and Sun­day at the An­gli­can church, to raise funds for the church’s restora­tion.

How­ev­er, sev­er­al swim­suit mod­els were cast in the show, which caused an up­roar among many who saw it as a des­e­cra­tion of a holy site.

Rev­erend Tenia ex­plained that there were guide­lines that were agreed to by the or­gan­is­er for the event when they ap­proached the church to use the venue. 

She said based on her in­for­ma­tion, it ap­peared on­ly one of the de­sign­ers went against the church’s guide­lines for the event.

More here-

http://www.guardian.co.tt/news/anglican-dean-i-tried-to-stop-them-6.2.978465.f0a39e8af5 

and here-

http://www.loopslu.com/content/swimsuits-cathedral-designer-broke-rules-says-anglican-dean-4

Ex-Archbishop 'faces probe into Church sex abuse cover-up': George Carey accused of 'colluding' with senior clergy to protect jailed bishop

From The Daily Mail-

The former Archbishop of Canterbury could face a police probe over claims the Church covered up the activities of a sex abuse bishop, it was reported last night.

George Carey was last year accused in a report of ‘colluding’ with senior clergy to protect Bishop Peter Ball.

Ball, who groomed and abused 18 vulnerable men from 1977 and 1992, was allegedly not added to a list of questionable ministers in 1993 that enabled him to carry on working.

Even though the Metropolitan Police has not started a criminal investigation, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is discussing whether to press charges against Lord Carey, according to the Daily Telegraph.

Prosecutors are said to be reading a 70-page report by Dame Moira Gibb, which was released last summer, in order to decide whether to prosecute.


Read more:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5461945/Ex-Archbishop-faces-probe-Church-sex-abuse-cover-up.html#ixzz58sMZPKr6

Ex-vicar, 79, who handed his home and life savings to male model 54 years his junior finds new love with a 22-year-old Romanian biology student

From the "You Can't Make This Stuff Up" Department-

A retired vicar who married a male model 54 years younger than him has found love again with an even younger man, he has revealed.

Philip Clements, 79, said he is dating a 22-year-old biology student from Romania who he now hopes will move to the UK to live with him.

The Church of England vicar tied the knot with 24-year-old Florin Marin in April last year after meeting him online in 2015.


He even sold his £215,000 home in Sandwich, Kent, to buy a flat in Bucharest, Romania - where Mr Marin was from - and transferred ownership into his new husband's name. 

But the couple split after just a few months because Mr Marin spent most of his time partying in nightclubs without his husband, who came back to Britain with nowhere to live.

Read more:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5445741/Ex-vicar-79-finds-love-22-year-old-toyboy.html#ixzz58Utr2JCr

Anglican Communion refutes reports on bishop’s election

From Nigeria-

The Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, has refuted claims on social media that its February 6, 2018 election of a successor to the Bishop of Lagos Diocese, Archbishop Ephraim Ademowo, who retires in August, was flawed.

The publications, which went viral on social media claimed that the election was not free and fair, a position that was also canvassed by some members of the Church.

But in its reaction, the Church said the publications were meant to tarnish its good image, just as they were intended to misinform and mislead members of the public.

More here-

https://guardian.ng/news/anglican-communion-refutes-reports-on-bishops-election/

Oxfam scandal: Archbishop Desmond Tutu steps down as ambassador

From The Church Times-

THE Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town, Dr Desmond Tutu, announced on Thursday that he would retire as an ambassador for Oxfam, because of “allegations of immorality and possible criminality” involving the charity’s aid workers.

The widening crisis over allegations of sexual abuse in the aid sector has led to the Charity Commission launching a formal inquiry and the Government threatening to remove millions of pounds of funding.

Allegations that Oxfam workers engaged prostitutes while working in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti have spread rapidly in recent days to cover other disaster zones and other agencies, calling into question the behaviour of aid workers and ability of charities to manage them.

More here-

https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2018/16-february/news/uk/oxfam-harassment-case-puts-pressure-on-ngos

also here-

https://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2018/02/15/oxfam-time-to-learn-not-destroy/

Anglican Church stops pastor’s wedding after lady allegedly accused him of dating and dumping her

From Nigeria-

Yesterday in Abakaliki, the wedding between Rev. Elvis Opune of All Saints Anglican Cathedral and Grace Chika Olunze of Umuchoke Mbaitolu, Imo State was aborted by the authorities of the church over alleged double dating.

Opune, his bride, and guests had seated inside the church ultra-modern building at 9.30am for the wedding when one of the priests, Ven. Kingsley Okoro, came in to announce that the wedding will no longer hold and asked everyone in the church to leave.

Okoro, who said that the directive to stop the wedding came from ‘above’, did not, however, disclose the reason for the cancellation of the wedding. The cancellation shocked the parishioners, guests and priests inside the church as they came out and started discussing the matter in groups.

One of the parishioners, who simply gave her name as Helen, however, told Sunday Vanguard that Opune had been accused of dating a girl. The girl was said to have lodged a complaint on Friday night that the priest was dating her and dumped her after promising her marriage.

More here-

http://www.lailasblog.com/2017/07/anglican-church-stops-pastors-wedding-alleged-double-dating.html

Are Protestants concealing a Catholic-size sexual abuse scandal?

From The New Republic-

Over the past five years, in fact, it has become increasingly clear—even to some conservative Christians—that fundamentalist churches face a widespread epidemic of sexual abuse and institutional denial that could ultimately involve more victims than the pedophilia scandal in the Catholic Church. In 2012, an investigation at Bob Jones University, known as the “fortress of fundamentalism,” revealed that the school had systematically covered up allegations of sexual assault and counseled victims to forgive their attackers. Sovereign Grace, a network of “neo-Calvinist” churches, has been facing multiple allegations of child molestation and sexual abuse. In 2014, a New Republic investigation found that school officials at Patrick Henry College, a popular destination for Christian homeschoolers, had routinely responded to rape and harassment claims by treating perpetrators with impunity, discouraging women from going to the police, and blaming them for dressing immodestly.

More here-

https://newrepublic.com/article/142999/silence-lambs-protestants-concealing-catholic-size-sexual-abuse-scandal

Justin Welby asks George Carey to quit over church abuse report

From The Guardian-

The archbishop of Canterbury has asked his predecessor George Carey to step down as an honorary assistant bishop after a damning independent report found that senior figures in the Church of England colluded over a 20-year period with a disgraced former bishop who sexually abused boys and men.

Justin Welby said the report on the church’s handling of former bishop Peter Ball made harrowing reading. “The church colluded and concealed rather than seeking to help those who were brave enough to come forward. This is inexcusable and shocking behaviour,” Welby said.

“To the survivors who were brave enough to share their story and bring Peter Ball to justice, I once again offer an unreserved apology. There are no excuses whatsoever for what took place and the systemic abuse of trust perpetrated by Peter Ball over decades.”

More here-

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jun/22/church-of-england-colluded-with-bishop-peter-ball-who-abused-boys-says-justin-welby

Anglican Church lawyers after Nolbert Kunonga

From Zimbabwe-

The Anglican Church has instructed its lawyers to recover everything the church lost to ex-communicated bishop Dr Nolbert Kunonga following the Supreme Court ruling last month.

The superior court ordered the bishop to pay the Anglican Church $427 000 as compensation for shares he sold after he led the church into schism in 2007.

The shares were owned by the Church of the Province of Central Africa (CPCA) in various firms and by command of the law, the decision of the Supreme Court is final and binding on all subordinate courts.

The Anglican Diocesan secretary, Reverend Clifford Dzavo, said Dr Kunonga was yet to comply with the Supreme Court ruling.

"We met our lawyers Gill, Godlonton and Gerrans last week on Friday after the court ruling," said Rev Dzavo.

"We have instructed them to follow up the matter and recover the money and everything that we lost to Kunonga.

More here-

http://bulawayo24.com/index-id-news-sc-national-byo-109483.html

Parole hearing for Heather Cook

From Anglican Ink-

Heather Cook is scheduled to appeal before a Parole Board hearing on 9 May 2017, offering the possibility the former suffragan Bishop of Maryland will be paroled two years after she was sentenced to seven years imprisonment for having struck and killed a cyclist while driving while intoxicated.  On 27 Oct 2015 a Baltimore City judge sentenced Cook (60) to 20 years imprisonment, but suspended 13 years of her sentence. Cook was to serve five years for manslaughter followed by a two year sentence for leaving the scene of the accident. She was sentenced to a further five years probation upon completion of her term. Cook, who currently is incarcerated at the Maryland Correctional Institute in Jessup, is eligible for early release as a non-violent offender under Maryland parole guidelines. According to court records on the afternoon of 27 Dec 2014 Cook was driving her car on Roland Avenue in Baltimore while intoxicated -- her blood alcohol level was later recorded at .22 per cent, three times the state’s legal limit. She then began to text whilst driving and swerved out of the traffic lane onto the bicycle lane, striking cyclist Richard Palermo from behind.

More here-

http://anglican.ink/article/parole-hearing-heather-cook

also here-

https://baltimorebrew.com/2017/04/10/parole-hearing-scheduled-next-month-for-former-episcopal-bishop-heather-cook/

Child abuse royal commission: Counsel's submission criticises Newcastle Anglican bishops

From Australia-

A counsel assisting the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has taken aim at several former Newcastle Anglican bishops, concluding one was "weak and ineffectual on child sexual abuse".

In its Newcastle and Sydney hearings in 2016, the royal commission heard claims of paedophile networks and cover ups during its probe into Newcastle's Anglican Diocese.

The royal commission today published the written submissions for the public hearings into the Anglican Diocese of Newcastle.

In her submission, counsel assisting the royal commission, Naomi Sharp, made nearly 150 observations known as 'available findings' in the report.

She said when former bishops Alfred Holland and Richard Appleby were able to ignore disclosures of allegations of sexual abuse, they chose to do so.

More here-

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-04-06/child-abuse-royal-commission-newcastle-anglican-submissions/8421814

Inadequate Anglican training led to abuse

From Australia-

The Anglican Church's failure to properly select and train its aspiring priests led to child abusers in its ranks, the royal commission has heard.

Chair Peter McClellan asked four senior Anglicans if the process for picking and guiding student clergy had meant "people ended up in the church who were capable of committing these terrible crimes".

The four panellists agreed, with the administrator of the Anglican Diocese, Bishop Tim Harris, saying the church had been in a position of great privilege and autonomy.

"I would hope, going into the 21st century, that there is a much greater awareness that the church is rightly more accountable," he told the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse on Monday.

Data released on the first day of the hearing revealed 22 Anglican dioceses received 1115 reported complaints of child sexual abuse between 1980 and 2015.

More here-

http://www.news.com.au/national/breaking-news/inadequate-anglican-training-led-to-abuse/news-story/1c79d17589d6a101bb507f6ee789d1f0

Newcastle Anglican bishop Greg Thompson quits after working hard to deal with abuse issues

From Australia-

Anglican Bishop of Newcastle Greg Thompson has resigned after three years of dealing with issues related to clerical abuse and cover ups.

An emotional Bishop Thompson last year told the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse his efforts to expose a decades-old culture of abuse and cover-ups had led to a concerted push to get rid of him.

The bishop is himself an abuse survivor and said he was resigning to put his health and family first.

"The impact of leading the diocese at various levels and addressing that culture has had a personal impact on my health, and I think has been something that got me thinking about how long I could have done it for," Bishop Thompson said.

More here-

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03-16/newcastle-anglican-bishop-greg-thompson-quits/8359408

also here-

http://www.lakesmail.com.au/story/4533932/local-anglican-bishop-resigns-due-to-health-impacts-of-royal-commission/

and here-

https://www.premier.org.uk/News/World/Australian-bishop-resigns-after-receiving-harassment-for-helping-expose-child-abuse

Child sex abuse inquiry public hearings under way

From The BBC-

Former child migrants are to give "very emotional accounts" about the physical and sexual abuse they faced, the first public hearing in the independent inquiry into historical child abuse in England and Wales has been told.

Thousands of British children were sent to Australia and other parts of the British Empire up to 1974.
Inquiry counsel Henrietta Hill QC, said thousands faced "decades of pain".

Its chairwoman praised the "courage" of those who will give evidence.

The first phase of the inquiry is looking at the way organisations have protected children outside the UK.

It will eventually investigate claims against councils, religious organisations, the armed forces and public and private institutions.

More here-

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-39099778

A 'network of sexual perpetrators' operated in Anglican church youth group, royal commission finds

From Australia-

A "network of sexual perpetrators" used an Anglican church youth group to prey on young boys over a period of decades from the 1970s to the 1990s with church leaders failing to report allegations, a royal commission has found.

In a scathing assessment of Anglican authorities, the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse found leaders, including former Brisbane archbishop and governor-general Peter Hollingworth, failed to protect children.

The report into Anglican youth group, the Church of England Boys' Society, and the Dioceses of Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Tasmania, comes a year after a public inquiry heard harrowing accounts of abuse by clergy and lay people.

More here-

http://www.smh.com.au/national/a-network-of-sexual-perpetrators-operated-in-anglican-church-youth-group-royal-commission-finds-20170213-gubi81.html

Episcopal bishop discusses priest’s arrest with church leaders

From Long Island-

The Episcopal bishop of Long Island met Sunday with parishioners of a Long Beach church after its priest was arrested Friday on child pornography and drug charges.

The Rev. Christopher King, 51, the priest at St. James of Jerusalem Episcopal Church, was arrested after investigators found five videos of boys between about 2 and 12 years old engaged in sex acts on a computer at his church residence, authorities said. Detectives also found methamphetamine, Xanax and numerous drug-related paraphernalia, police said.

Bishop Lawrence C. Provenzano first spoke privately with about a dozen leaders of the 137-year-old congregation and then held a 45-minute question-and-answer session with more than 40 parishioners in the middle of the worship service that he decided to preside over.

More here-

http://www.newsday.com/long-island/nassau/episcopal-bishop-meets-with-parishioners-about-arrested-priest-1.13066312