BishopAccountability.org
	Verryn Back at Work By Eleanor Momberg The Star May 3, 2010 http://www.thestar.co.za/?fSectionId=493&fArticleId=vn20100503123153468C475531 The suspension of former Johannesburg Central Methodist Church bishop Paul Verryn has been lifted. This means that the cleric, who was suspended in January pending the outcome of a disciplinary hearing, returned to the pulpit yesterday, taking the early morning and evening services at the church in Pritchard Street. The controversial cleric was suspended by Presiding Bishop Ivan Abrahams a day after receiving notice summoning him to attend a disciplinary hearing on February 1 on two charges. The first charge related to the alleged institution of legal proceedings in December last year for the appointment of a curator ad litem to safeguard the interests of unaccompanied minors living at the Central Methodist Church. It was claimed that Verryn had instituted the legal proceedings, from which he had withdrawn once the matter went to court, without authority and/or without doing so in the name of the presiding bishop or executive secretary. The second charge related to the cleric making media statements after being instructed not to do so. At the time Verryn disputed the charges, and opposed the institution of disciplinary proceedings against him. The Legal Resources Centre, which acted on his behalf in the matter, also formally referred the dispute between Verryn and Abrahams, which was said to be the reason behind the disciplinary charges, for arbitration, asking that the disciplinary hearing be postponed pending mediation in terms of the laws and discipline of the church. That mediation process took three months. "The essence of it was that the charge has been set aside on the basis that the district disciplinary registrar is also the church's legal adviser and that was deemed to be an apprehension of bias," said Peter le Motte, the arbitrator in the case. This meant that Verryn's suspension had immediately been lifted. Because the merits of the case were not dealt with and the cleric was cleared on a technicality, it meant that he could be charged again later by another district disciplinary registrar on the same charges should the church decide to pursue the matter. "He has not been cleared completely because he has not appeared before a disciplinary committee," said Le Motte, who considered written submissions and responses from all parties to written arguments before handing down his ruling. A clearly happy Verryn would not comment on the ruling yesterday. Wendy Landau, of Friends of Paul Verryn, said she was very happy that he had been cleared. "It was great news. He called me on Friday to give me the news. Obviously the Friends are delighted that he has been vindicated. We are just sad that it took three months," she said. Verryn resigned last year as the presiding bishop of the Central Methodist Church, which provides shelter to thousands of Zimbabwean refugees, after criticism over social problems arising from the squalid conditions. His suspension led to speculation that he was linked to the allegations of sexual abuse of children at the church that surfaced in October. The director of the Centre for Child Law, Ann Skelton, was appointed legal curator of the church by the Johannesburg High Court in December after an application by the Aids Law Project. She compiled a report on conditions at the church, finding that although it was an unsuitable shelter for children it was their only option, given that government assistance was lacking.
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