US Episcopalians clear gay bishop of allegations
( 2003-08-06 10:24) (Agencies)
US Episcopalian leaders on Tuesday dismissed sexual misconduct allegations against the church's first openly gay bishop, clearing the way for a vote of bishops that is likely to approve his installation.
Voting was to proceed once the bishop in charge of the investigation said there was nothing to the allegations against New Hampshire bishop-elect Gene Robinson that prompted an 11th hour delay on Monday.
A Vermont parishioner had accused Robinson of improperly touching him and questions arose about whether Robinson bore responsibility for the pornographic links to a Web site for a group for troubled teen-agers he helped found.
"In both allegations it is my conclusion that there is no necessity to pursue further investigation and no reason on these grounds to prevent bishops of jurisdiction from going forward with their voting," Massachusetts Bishop Gordon Scruton said.
Scruton said he spoke to the offended parishioner, David Lewis, about the touching and concluded they were nonsexual. Lewis also did not want to press charges, Scruton told his fellow bishops.
New York Bishop Mark Sisk earlier described people as suffering a combination of "shock, surprise and befuddlement" at the allegations.
A statement from the Portland, Maine-based group, Outright, which pairs gay adult mentors with teen-agers with sexual and gender issues, said the offending links had been removed and that Robinson had nothing to do with creating the Web site.
WEB SITE
In reference to the Web site, Scruton said Robinson's involvement with the group ended in 1998 and the Web site was created last year, and Robinson had no knowledge of the site.
Bishops had delayed the vote on Robinson to investigate the allegations by Lewis that the bishop-elect repeatedly touched him inappropriately at a church conference a few years ago. In an e-mail addressed to bishops, Lewis called Robinson a "grab-assing skirt-chaser" unfit for ministry.
Rev. David Anderson, head of the conservative American Anglican Council and a Robinson opponent, denied any last-minute conspiracy to undermine Robinson's candidacy.
Conservatives in the 2.3-million-member US church have threatened a schism over either Robinson's installation or another proposal to allow clergy to bless same-sex marriages. The rift also extends to divisions within the 77-million-member Anglican Communion, which led to last month's withdrawal in Britain of gay Canon Jeffrey John as bishop.
"We're playing a tennis match on two different courts and we're not speaking the same language." said Rev. Martyn Minns, a conservative from Fairfax, Virginia, referring to differing interpretations of the Bible on homosexuality.
Rarely has the church's general convention rejected an elected bishop, with only nine candidates failing to gain approval since the 18th century, the last in 1934.
Church liberals have questioned the seriousness of the threats of a schism, noting conservatives failed to follow through after objecting to the mid-1970s decision to ordain women.
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