By Eric Joyce
Saginaw News
August 18 2010
http://www.mlive.com/news/saginaw/index.ssf/2010/08/saginaw_bishop_todd_ousley_hel.html
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| Bishop Todd Ousley, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Eastern Michigan. |
A controversial ruling to reinstate a Pennsylvanian bishop includes a tie to Saginaw.
Bishop Todd Ousley of the Episcopal Diocese of Eastern Michigan, which includes land east of Interstate 75 from Genesse to Alpena counties, was a member of the church’s court of review that, earlier this month, reversed a 2008 decision by a lower court that removed Pennsylvania Bishop Charles Bennison as bishop.
Bennison’s brother, John Bennison, was youth pastor of the church where Charles Bennison was a priest in the 1970s in California. John Bennison, who later became a priest, is accused of sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl in the parish. John Bennison was forced to renounce his priesthood in 2006 when accusations became public. His brother was removed as bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania in 2008 for his inaction in the 1970s.
Ousley was a member of the appeals court that on July 28 determined that the church’s statute of limitations had expired, and Charles Bennison was reinstated as bishop of the 55,000-member diocese as of Monday.
You can read the court's 39-page final decision here.
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, a nonprofit group founded in 1989, challenged eight diocesan leaders including Ousley over the decision.
Ousley said the Episcopal Church has been proactive in addressing sexual misconduct with mandatory training for all of the church’s leadership and volunteers regarding how to identify and address sexual abuse.
“The Episcopal Church is a leader in responding to instances of sexual conduct involving children, and I am very supportive of to SNAP and their organization for the work they do for sexual misconduct prevention,” Ousley said.
Correspondence from SNAP to the bishops stated, “You have an obligation to protect the innocent children and vulnerable adults (and) a duty to help educate and guide your congregation.” The letter also asks bishops to take public action to prevent further instances of abuse.
Ousley, who said he would not comment on the court’s ruling or the fax he received from SNAP, said details on the ruling may have been unintentionally distorted by SNAP.
“There are a number of complexities to this argument, and some of the e-mails and letters react to certain aspects of the case but don’t go to the heart of the legal matters brought up by Bishop Bennison,” Ousley said.
David Clohessy, SNAP executive director, said the organization’s goals include urging bishops to change polices regarding church courts and prompting bishops to inform and educate parishioners about the sexual abuse of children.
“Our basic view is that they may have made the right decision legally, but we believe they may have to make an additional decision morally,” Clohessy said. “They have a moral duty to reform the Episcopal process so that this kind of travesty doesn’t happen again, and they need to educate their flock about child abuse and cover-ups.”
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