BishopAccountability.org
	Local Bishop to Meet with Former Students Brockville Recorder and Times September 8, 2007 http://newsfeed.recorder.ca/cgi-bin/LiveIQue.acgi$rec=23627 The bishop of this region's Anglican Church diocese will meet this weekend with some former Grenville Christian College students who have alleged they were physically and mentally abused there. The meetings comes as the church confirmed it has opened a formal inquiry into complaints against two unnamed clergy connected with the now closed private Christian school. "I can confirm that there will be meetings with people who have made complaints," said Wayne Varley, diocesan executive officer with the Diocese of Ontario. In a statement released late Friday afternoon, Bishop George Bruce said he has received "a number of written complaints alleging misconduct against two clergy of the Diocese of Ontario, one retired and one on leave from the diocese to become headmaster of Grenville Christian College." Varley stopped short of describing the process to hear complaints brought against the two clergy - one of whom is believed to be former GCC headmaster Charles Farnsworth, a retired Anglican priest - an investigation. Instead, he said the church is following the procedure laid out under canon 35 that covers complaints and discipline. He said the bishop will meet complainants who have written to the church "to hear their story, to gauge the situation and to follow up." Varley said he believes Bruce has also spoken with Farnsworth, who lives in Brockville and was GCC headmaster for two decades until 1997. "I don't know what they discussed," said Varley. Under canon 35, Bruce will meet with the complainants and then must inform anyone against whom those complaints have been lodged of the allegations and allow them a response. Face-to-face meetings between the two sides could follow, although Bruce noted, "At any point in the process I have the discretion to refer the matter to the diocesan court É" He assured, in closing, that "this matter is being dealt with seriously."
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.