(RNS) Advocates for victims of clergy sex abuse have blasted the Episcopal Church for reinstating the bishop of Philadelphia who had been charged with not investigating sex abuse allegations about his brother.
A church appeals court ruled July 28 that Bishop Charles Bennison committed conduct inappropriate for a member of the clergy, but said charges against him had to be dismissed because the statute of limitations had run out.
The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), which has criticized the Roman Catholic Church for not disciplining bishops, picketed Tuesday (Aug. 10) outside the Philadelphia headquarters of the Diocese of Pennsylvania.
“SNAP believes that if wrongdoing goes unpunished, wrongdoing will be repeated, and that the top Episcopal hierarchy needs to do more to safeguard the vulnerable and heal the wounded,” the watchdog group said in a statement.
SNAP officials urged the bishops who made the decision to reinstate Bennison to warn families about John Bennison, a priest and the younger brother of Charles Bennison.
The ruling detailed how John Bennison had a lengthy affair with an underage female parishioner in the 1970s, starting at the church where Charles Bennison was the pastor. A lower court found Charles Bennison guilty of conduct “unbecoming a member of the clergy” in 2008 for failing to investigate or discipline his brother.
On the other side of the state, Bishop Sean Rowe of Erie has asked women to come forward who may have been abused by now-deceased Bishop Donald Davis. Rowe said in a pastoral letter that he did not know why previous church leaders did not publicize the abuse, which he said he only learned of it in March.
– Adelle M. Banks
Copyright 2010 Religion News Service. All rights reserved. No part of this transmission may be distributed or reproduced without written permission.
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posted August 10, 2010 at 6:12 pm
“statute of limitations had run out.”
HUH?
posted August 10, 2010 at 7:46 pm
I agree with you, cknuck. “statue of limitations had run out.” “HUH”?
There needs to be a rapid change in the laws if this kind of thing has a statue of limitations! Like murder, there should not be a statue of limitation on sexual abuse, rape etc.
posted August 10, 2010 at 9:50 pm
I agree too. If they can’t prosecute him under church law they should send their evidence to the civil authorities. If it’s too late there they should warn folks about him.
posted August 11, 2010 at 4:24 am
A real Christian church would have fired the him for heresy. “We wrote the Bible, we can rewrite it.” Bennison said Jesus was a sinner (not sinless) who forgave himself. Bennison stated Jesus “winked at sin”, and on and on.
All this was ignored. (We are dealing with the Episcopal once-church, after all.)
They knew full well that the statute of limitations had run out on the charges they brought against him. He should sue them for malicious prosecution.
They both deserve each other.
posted August 11, 2010 at 11:23 am
ck & ps
To your “Huh?” I would add a Homer-esque “D’oh!”
There is not “statute of limitations” on this sort of oversight and ignorance. I think the decision to reinstate him was a mistake. Even though God’s grace and forgiveness are part of this, there does not seem to be any acknowledgement of the pain and frustration of the victims or their survivors. Grace without repentance, even on the part of the institution, is hollow not hallowed.
Hey, we have agreed on something again. Cool.
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Yes, totally Cool, jestrfyl!
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