Watchdog Group says Episcopal Church USA Refuses To Comply With Mandatory Reporting Of Child Sex Abuse

A watchdog group of Anglican Christians has called on state attorneys general to investigate the refusal by the Episcopal Church of the United States, which is part of the Anglican Communion,  to comply with state mandatory child sex abuse reporting obligations. According to a release from Anglican Watch, ECUSA has refused to report “historic child sex abuse cases, notably in New York, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Maryland.”

“Anglican Watch is appalled by the fact that senior Episcopal Church officials, including former Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, former Bishop for Pastoral Development Todd Ousley, and retired Bishop Alan Gates all failed to report the allegations that Episcopal priest Richard Losch took one or more boys across state lines for the purpose of raping them,” said Eric Bonetti of Anglican Watch. According to the Marblehead Current, an alleged victim (64) testified on April 8 in Grafton Superior Court in New Hampshire that Losch "raped him on a trip to a Boy Scout camp" in 1976. Losch was a priest at St. Michael's Episcopal Church in Marblehead from 1969 to 1986, according to the Marblehead Current, and also served as assistant headmaster at the Tower School. He later moved, it said, to Alabama where he served as a priest. The victim was 12 years old at the time of the alleged incident.

Bonetti added, “The states in question — Massachusetts, Michigan, and New York — all expressly require reporting of historical abuse and impose criminal penalties for failing to do so. Despite these legal requirements, the Diocese of Massachusetts now is trying to dismiss Title IV clergy disciplinary complaints against the Rev. Canon William C. Parnell and intake officer Rev. Thea Keith-Lucas, conveniently omitting the obligation of all diocesan officials to report historic child sexual abuse.” 

“Meanwhile, Todd Ousley now has been elected bishop provisional of the struggling Diocese of Wyoming — a shocking and appalling outcome if there ever was one. “Moreover, church canons require clergy to report possible disciplinary violations by other clergy. Thus, all who handled the Losch complaint but failed to contact law enforcement should face both church discipline and criminal charges. Such reporting is particularly important because abusers often have more than one victim, and frequently, it is decades before victims can overcome the trauma and shame they experience to come forward,” Bonetti said. “Yet, even now, none of the dioceses involved, including Alabama, where Losch now lives, has done anything to notify vulnerable populations or to encourage other possible victims to come forward. Nor will we accept excuses. Church officials have an obligation both to know the law and to comply with the law. Moreover, the ethical obligation to report allegations of child sexual abuse transcends the legal requirements. Nor is the Losch case the only such situation.” Bonetti notes.

”For example, Bishop Chilton Knudsen refuses to report historical child sexual abuse in Maryland. And the national church, including intake officer Barb Kempf, continues to cover-up allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation involving Bishop George Sumner. Things have not gotten better under Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe,” Bonetti adds. ”Indeed, the only thing the denomination has done in the Losch case is to apologize for its inept handling of the victim’s multiple complaints, and offer some token pastoral care to the victim. Meanwhile, Alabama Bishop Glenda Curry continues to claim, with no evidence to support her assertions, that she is 'investigating' the Losch case. To be clear, we find her statements highly improbable,” Bonetti concludes.

Anglican Watch describes itself as the unofficial watchdog of the Episcopal Church. It was founded in 2015.