Continuing Investigation Forces Bishop-elect to Withdraw from Consent Process in Virginia
Episcopal News Service. November 4, 1993 [93190]
Sarah Bartenstein, Director of Communication for the Diocese of Virginia.
The Rev. Canon Antoine Lamont Campbell, elected on May 1 as one of the two suffragan bishops for the Diocese of Virginia, announced on November 4 that he had withdrawn from the consent process of that election, calling it a "painful privilege" that he took to "protect the diocese [of Virginia] from any division."
The announcement put an end to nearly six months of uncertainty over whether the South Carolina priest would be consecrated in the wake of charges of sexual misconduct made a few weeks after his historic election. Had he been consecrated, Campbell would have been the first African American bishop in the 207-year history of the Diocese of Virginia.
Campbell was acquitted of the sexual misconduct charges on October 29 by an ecclesiastical court in his own diocese. However, he currently faces additional charges of "conduct unbecoming a member of the clergy" made by another woman. Campbell insisted that he would be acquitted on those charges as well.
In late May, an adult woman from South Carolina alleged that she had an adulterous relationship with Campbell. Both the woman and Campbell are married. The standing committee of the Diocese of Virginia launched its own investigation into the complaint, separately interviewing the woman and Campbell. According to church canons, the standing committee is responsible for certifying that there were no impediments to consecrating Campbell as bishop.
During the course of the standing committee's investigation, the Diocese of South Carolina instituted a canonical process leading to a church trial which was scheduled to begin in the fall.
Virginia's standing committee then passed a resolution stating that, in order to protect Campbell's rights and not prejudice the ecclesiastical court, it would defer a decision on whether to continue with the consent of Campbell's election. The standing committee cautioned, however, that it would base its decision on its own findings and would thus not be bound by the decision of the South Carolina ecclesiastical court.
When Virginia's standing committee became aware of a second set of accusations, it continued its independent investigation, and also interviewed the second woman, an Episcopal priest, and Campbell.
According to the Rev. Martin F. McCarthy of Richmond, president of Virginia's standing committee, members wished to honor their earlier pledge not to make a decision that might influence the first trial court, so they deferred action until Monday, November 1, when all 12 members gathered and unanimously decided to ask Campbell to withdraw.
"Our decision was made prayerfully and deliberately," said McCarthy. "We believed that we could not certify to our own diocese, nor those whose consent we would have to seek, that we saw no impediments to Canon Campbell's consecration as bishop in God's church. This decision was based on our own, independent investigation and in light of our particular canonical responsibilities.
"We took seriously the mandate of the special council which elected Canon Campbell. We also take seriously our canonical responsibility to certify without reservation his fitness for office," McCarthy said.
McCarthy and the Rev. William Brake, the secretary of the Diocese of Virginia's standing committee, asked Campbell to withdraw from the consent process during a meeting on November 3. "Canon Campbell had earlier told members of our standing committee -- and on another occasion, to our bishop -- that if he thought he was hurting the Diocese of Virginia in any way, he would withdraw. We felt that the time had come to ask him to honor that statement."
In a November 4 statement, Campbell said, "My last eight years have been spent building up the church. I have no intentions of harming the ministry of the church. I consider it a painful privilege to withdraw my name from the confirmation process for suffragan bishop in the Diocese of Virginia."
In a November 4 statement from his office, the Rt. Rev. Peter James Lee, Virginia's diocesan bishop, said, "I am deeply saddened that the shared ministry among the three bishops of our diocese will not include Tony Campbell. He is an energetic, visionary priest with wonderful gifts. My prayers are with him and his family."
Lee also said, "I have the deepest respect for the standing committee of the Diocese of Virginia and for its understanding of the difference between a verdict in a trial and the need for a bishop to have the unqualified confidence of the people of the diocese." He thanked the standing committee and Campbell "for their devotion to the well-being of the church."
Lee said that the diocese would now begin to consider its next steps in securing a third bishop.