Noted Priest Suspended for Misconduct
Episcopal News Service. August 19, 1992 [92179B]
The Rev. Graham Pulkingham, a British-born Episcopal priest internationally known for his involvement in the charismatic renewal movement, was temporarily suspended from his priestly duties in the Diocese of Pittsburgh after he was charged with sexual misconduct. A woman in the Diocese of Kansas charged that her marriage had been ruined by an alleged homosexual affair that occurred between her husband and Pulkingham from 1978-1982 while Pulkingham was head of a religious community in London. Pittsburgh Bishop Alden Hathaway suspended Pulkingham from serving as a priest in the church as well as leader of the Community of Celebration, a small religious order located in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania. In a letter to the order and to diocesan clergy, Hathaway said that Pulkingham had confirmed the allegations and had come "to see that [his actions] were an abuse of power and trust from which he now fully repents and is heartily sorry." Hathaway reported that the diocese will reach out to the families of the alleged victims and Pulkingham in order to provide pastoral care and counseling. A full investigation of the allegations is continuing.