The claim of inappropriate touching was e-mailed to Vermont Bishop Thomas Ely by David Lewis of Manchester, Vt. A family friend said Tuesday that Lewis never intended the allegations to go public.In the e-mail, Lewis said Robinson "does not maintain appropriate boundaries with men." He said he met Robinson at a church event and "he put his hands on me inappropriately every time I engaged him in conversation," which Lewis termed "sexual harassment."
Scruton said he spoke with Lewis by phone Monday afternoon and Lewis told him that, at a public church event in November 1999, Robinson "put his left hand on the individual's arm and his right hand on the individual's upper back" as Robinson answered a question Lewis had asked.
Scruton said the other encounter occurred when Lewis turned to make a comment to Robinson and the clergyman "touched the individual's forearm and back while responding with his own comment."
Scruton said he asked Lewis if he wanted to proceed with a written complaint and he "indicated he had no desire to pursue the matter any further."
"He said he was thankful the church had taken this seriously and that he felt `listened to,'" Scruton said.
Separate concerns were raised about Robinson's connection to the Web site of Outright, a secular outreach program for gay and bisexual youth that Robinson helped found in Concord, N.H.
Scruton said he had investigated the Web link "at the request of an American Anglican Council representative." The council, which represents conservative parishes and bishops, has been among the most outspoken opponents to Robinson's confirmation.
Scruton said Robinson ended his association with Outright in 1998 and "was not aware that the organization has a Web site until this convention."
The claim of inappropriate touching was e-mailed to Vermont Bishop Thomas Ely by David Lewis of Manchester, Vt. A family friend said Tuesday that Lewis never intended the allegations to go public.Scruton said he asked Lewis if he wanted to proceed with a written complaint and he "indicated he had no desire to pursue the matter any further."
"He said he was thankful the church had taken this seriously and that he felt `listened to,'" Scruton said.
Separate concerns were raised about Robinson's connection to the Web site of Outright, a secular outreach program for gay and bisexual youth that 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 Robinson and of Episcopal gay activists. Virtue said a bishop whom he would not identify alerted him to the link.
A member of the group'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, Baxley said. That page provided resources for bisexuals that, a few links away, provided access to porn.