Posted on 08/04/2003 10:25:30 PM PDT by ex-Texan
Allegations throw church's vote into turmoil
Minneapolis — Plans by Episcopal leaders to vote on confirming the church's first openly gay elected bishop were thrown into turmoil Monday when allegations emerged that he inappropriately touched a man and was affiliated with a youth Web site that had a link to pornography.
Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold, head of the Episcopal Church, released a statement announcing the delay as debate was about to start on whether to confirm the Reverend V. Gene Robinson as New Hampshire's bishop.
"Questions have been raised and brought to my attention regarding the bishop-elect of the Diocese of New Hampshire," Rev. Griswold said.
Bishop Griswold said Rev. Robinson, with current New Hampshire Bishop Douglas Theuner and representatives of his diocese, decided together "that a thorough investigation be undertaken before we proceed."
Mike Barwell, a spokesman for Rev. Robinson, did not respond to repeated requests for comment. But Rev. Robinson's diocese issued a statement expressing "continued confidence" in him.
Jim Solheim, a national church spokesman, said the investigation was launched quickly.
"Churches are very sensitive to these issues. When charges are made against a priest of the church, it does trigger an almost automatic process," he said.
The allegations of inappropriate touching were e-mailed Sunday to Bishop Thomas Ely of Vermont, who was asked in the message not to consent to Rev. Robinson's election, Episcopal News Service reported. In the e-mail, a man who identified himself as David Lewis from Manchester, Vt., said Rev. Robinson "does not maintain appropriate boundaries with men."
Mr. Solheim said "some of the bishops have talked to the accuser" about the allegations.
Mr. Lewis wrote in the e-mail that he met Rev. Robinson at a church event "a couple of years ago" and "he put his hands on me inappropriately every time I engaged him in conversation."
Seth Bongartz, a lawyer in Manchester, said he knows Mr. Lewis "fairly well" and said he is married with two children and apparently training to become an Episcopal priest.
State Rep. Judy Livingston said she also knows Mr. Lewis and his wife, and described him as "very intelligent," adding: "He is not the person who would make wild accusations."
In a statement, the church said its investigation would also include scrutiny of separate concerns raised about Rev. Robinson's "relationship to a Web site of outright.org," a secular outreach program for gay and bisexual youth that Rev. Robinson helped found.
Bishops learned of the porn link claim from David Virtue, a conservative Anglican activist and writer who has been among the harshest critics of Rev. Robinson and of Episcopal gay activists. Mr. Virtue said a bishop whom he would not identify alerted him to the link.
Outright issued a statement Monday saying the organization was not aware of the link and objected to it.
Mo Baxley, a member of Concord, N.H., Outright's board of directors, said Robinson hasn't been involved with the group for several years and had no role in developing its Web page.
The link is on an unaffiliated site that had resources for gay youth. That page provided resources for bisexuals that, a few links away, provided access to porn.
Mr. Solheim said he did not know how long the investigation would take or if a vote on Rev. Robinson would take place before the church's national meeting ends on Friday. Bishop Gordon Scruton of the Diocese of Western Massachusetts was named to lead the investigation.
Church lawyers were researching whether the bishops could vote after the convention by mail, or call a special session later to conduct the balloting, Mr. Solheim said. "There is no precedent for this," he said.
Robyn Cotton, an Episcopalian in Concord, N.H., and a supporter of Robinson, called the allegations "preposterous."
"This is horrible. It's character assassination," Ms. Cotton said.
Rev. Robinson, a 56-year-old divorced father of two, has been attending the convention with his daughter and partner of 13 years, Mark Andrew.
Rev. Robinson was elected by his diocese in June, but the church requires that a majority of convention delegates ratify his election.
On Sunday, the House of Deputies, a legislative body comprised of clergy and lay people from dioceses nationwide, approved Rev. Robinson by a 2-to-1 margin; a committee endorsed him by secret ballot Friday.
The final vote he needed was in the House of Bishops, which represents bishops from around the country.
Rev. Robinson's chances were unclear. It is rare for the General Convention to reject a diocese's choice of bishops, but the denomination has been deeply divided for decades over homosexuality.
The American Anglican Council, which represents conservative bishops and parishes, plans a meeting in October to decide whether to break away from the church or take some other action if Rev. Robinson is seated.
Like-minded bishops in the Anglican Communion, the 77-million-member global association that includes the Episcopal Church, said they, too, will consider severing ties with the denomination if Rev. Robinson wins.
Robinson has rejected calls from conservatives that he withdraw from consideration to prevent a breakup of the church, as a gay clergyman did recently in England.
Canon David Anderson, president of the American Anglican Council, said he still hoped Rev. Robinson would be rejected, but not because of the allegations.
That website he co-founded needs to be investigated big time
In the meantime, this Bishop wannnnaaaabe may have to deal with a subpoea for his computer hard drive. LOL, LOL, LOL !!
.....allegations emerged that he inappropriately touched a manAllegations?
It's true.
He's already admitted to being in a homosexual relationship with his "partner".
A man having sex with another man.
Man, if that isn't inappropriate touching, what the hell is?Just shows how far our society, and the Episcopal church, has slid into the sewer.
Yeah, who ever heard of a gay priest touching a youngster inappropriately?
The House of Bishops gets to pass on the issue at hand - whether it EVER appropriate to consecrate an open active homosexual person bishop even if there is anything to these allegations. That itself isn't inconceivable - Robinson basically cheated on his wife.
I can see Robinson withdrawing in a tizzy before the outcome of the "investigation" comes out. The Gays will go crazy of course. The House of Bishops won't have to vote and put themselves on the record. NH gets to find a bishop without this baggage and ECUSA gets to stave off destruction for another 3 years - or so they think.
Outright issued a statement Monday saying the organization was not aware of the link and objected to it. "
Well Outright, would you care to issue a statement about the following?
Homosexual Activists Solidify Hold on Schools
"...With a three-year grant worth $121,575 from the Vermont Department of Health, Outright targets middle and high school kids. Kathy Hoyt, Vermont Secretary of Administration, proudly asserted that Outright Vermont "developed a training program for public schools that was designed to support diversity and safe schools for Vermont’s gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth."
As in Massachusetts, however, "safety" has begun to bleed into "sex." That’s the serious charge leveled by Nancy Sheltra, a six-term state representative and founder of Vermont’s pro-family organization, Standing Together And Reclaiming the State (STARS). According to documents provided to AFA by STARS, Outright Vermont has gone lightyears beyond the simple purpose espoused by Hoyt.
For example, Outright used taxpayer money to provide "safer sex activities" and "parties" for teens. These events included, according to Outright’s own documents, "demonstrations, guided practice & skill evaluation" for the use of prophylactics, and the distribution of free condoms, lubricants for sexual intercourse between males, "dental dams" for oral sex between lesbians, and latex gloves for mutual masturbation.
The number of such items requested by Outright Vermont for distribution to teens was mind-boggling: 5,000 condoms, 750 dental dams, 750 latex gloves, and 2,000 packets of lubricant.
Outright also spent monies on youth retreats, including the "recruitment of youth participants," which utilized mailing lists and youth-related meetings to stir interest in the gatherings. Kids who expressed an interest in attending were transported - again using state money - to the retreat site, where youth and adult staff again taught kids how to engage in homosexual sex practices. Outright’s own quarterly report said, "All retreat participants practiced and were evaluated on their (prophylactic) barrier use skills and were given a variety of barriers to take home. Participants joined in role plays."..."
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