Long Island Action on Sexual Misconduct Allegations Draws Strong Support
Episcopal News Service. December 5, 1996 [96-1631]
(ENS) Action by the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island launching an independent investigation into recent allegations of sexual misconduct by clergy won praise from Presiding Bishop Edmond Browning and the church's Executive Council.
The diocese's annual convention, November 9, set aside up to $100,000 to look into claims by two Brazilian men that the Rev. William Lloyd Andries of St. Gabriel's Church in Brooklyn brought them to the United States to be sexual partners for a group of homosexual and bisexual clergy. According to an article in Penthouse magazine, the Brazilian men claim that the priests engaged in drug use and sexual orgies in St. Gabriel's.
In a letter shared with the Executive Council at its meeting in Toronto, November 7-11, and then sent to all dioceses, Browning expressed his full support for the diocese's actions. If true, the allegations "are outrageous," Browning said. "I, along with persons of all faiths, deplore sexual exploitation and abuse of any kind."
Browning noted that while his role in the affairs of a diocese is "largely a pastoral one," he has been in frequent contact with Bishop Orris Walker of Long Island and other lay and clergy leaders in Long Island, and has "made a number of suggestions concerning appropriate diocesan response."
As a result of the convention's action, Browning said, Walker will ask Bishop O'Kelley Whitaker, retired bishop of Central New York, to oversee the investigation, and independent counsel will be retained.
In a resolution drafted in support of Browning's letter, the Executive Council affirmed the "reported actions taken thus far by the bishop, clergy and lay leadership of the Diocese of Long Island to investigate thoroughly and act in this matter, and assure them of our prayers and concerns."
The council joined Browning in "deploring the recently reported incidents of sexual exploitation and abuse of sacred trust." The council also echoed Browning's condemnation of "any effort to use these allegations to inflame and polarize the ongoing difficult discussion within our church about the responsible, proper, and holy expression of sexuality," and affirmed "the continuation of healthy and responsible conversations addressing the complex issues of human sexuality."
Both Browning and the council underscored the need to "clearly differentiate between issues of sexual abuse and exploitation, and sexual orientation." The alleged actions in Long Island "are clearly outside acceptable parameters, and should not be confused with our ongoing struggles about sexuality," Browning said.
The council commended Browning for "his pastoral oversight and the timely attention he has given to this matter," and expressed appreciation for the prompt report on the situation given to the council by Browning, Chancellor David Beers and Bishop Harold Hopkins, bishop for pastoral development in the House of Bishops.
Since the allegations were made, Andries has resigned as rector of St. Gabriel's and is under discipline, Browning related in his letter. Bishop James Ottley, the Anglican Communion's Observer to the United Nations, has stepped in at the parish to provide oversight and to be available to members of the congregation for counseling.
Andries has denied many of the allegations in the article and has declared his intention to sue Penthouse magazine for libel.
Browning also related that "members of our church have expressed sorrow that the term of a former member of our staff, the Rev. Howard Williams, who has done much good work on our behalf, came to such an unfortunate conclusion when I asked for his resignation." While Williams, who had served as coordinator of children's ministries, was mentioned in the article as tangentially involved, the principal Brazilian source told Penthouse that he had no reason to believe Williams had any involvement with Andries's sexual activities. Nonetheless, "Howard and I agreed that, given the circumstances, his ministry had been so compromised that it was impossible for him to continue in his position," Browning said.
Williams has admitted that he was present at St. Gabriel's rectory for a ceremony blessing the same-sex union between Andries and one of the two Brazilian men, but maintains that he neither participated in, nor had any knowledge of, group sex activities or drug use in the church or rectory. An earlier statement by Browning mentioning his resignation, Williams said, could be interpreted to suggest that he was more closely involved, which would "obscure the truth and tarnish my name."
Bishops throughout the Episcopal Church have issued pastoral letters to try to help the congregations of their dioceses make sense of the disturbing developments in Long Island.
"My old professor said that even ill winds blow good, and this feels like an ill wind blowing for sure, so I struggle to hope for the good hidden in it and I rejoice in Bishop Browning's resolve, within the limits of his jurisdiction, to play a positive and moral role in helping all concerned," said Bishop Richard L. Shimpfky of the Diocese of El Camino Real.
"Such behavior is sinful, sick and in its very nature evil and whenever it occurs, must be dealt with expeditiously and decisively," said Bishop Bertram Herlong of Tennessee. "This article portrays the Episcopal Church in a false light. The behavior it describes in such detail is not typical in our church, and it is certainly not typical of our clergy."
Herlong reminded his congregations of the training offered by the church to prevent sexual misconduct, exploitation and abuse, and reiterated that "sexual misconduct and abuse of any kind will not be tolerated in this diocese; in all circumstances it is inexcusable."
Most of all, Herlong said, "I am saddened about the negative effect such a story might have on all those who are trying to pursue the mission of the church and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ."
More than 35 bishops have signed a statement blaming the events in Long Island on what they perceive to be the Episcopal Church's lax stance on sexual issues, but other bishops condemned that effort to link a dialogue on sexuality with sexual aberration.
Noting that the article accuses the clergy of engaging in "predatory sexual behavior and activities that call into question the sincerity of their commitment to the faith they claim to profess," Bishop John Spong of Newark said that such behavior "would be condemned by both heterosexual and homosexual Christians."
Conservative members of the church have used the situation, he said, to assert that "this type of behavior is typical of homosexual people," but seem "not to be aware that heterosexual behavior can also take bizarre, predatory and destructive forms that this church would never affirm." Spong added, "This is not to suggest that such behavior should be excused because of its prevalence. It is rather a sign of the fragility of values present in this society to which this church must speak."
Bishop Peter Lee of Virginia decried suggestions that "such behavior is to be expected in a church where there is debate about the place of gays and lesbians in the church." The behavior is "outrageous, wrong and sinful," he said. "But to characterize all gay and lesbian persons in our church as somehow tainted by the scandal is itself wrong and unfair, and demonstrates a manipulation of this scandal for political and ideological purposes."
Responding in a letter to the editor of a Pennsylvania newspaper that ran a critical column on the situation, Bishop Paul Marshall of the Diocese of Bethlehem said, "If you want to know what's going on in the Episcopal Church, don't get it from issue-possessed groups or from warmed-over Penthouse fare dressed up as journalism. Go to an Episcopal Church near you. Ask the folks there how they praise God in their communities."
In Episcopal parishes, he said, "You will find innovative ministries where parishioners reach out to children at risk in their neighborhoods and communities. You will find people bringing people to the knowledge and love of Jesus Christ."