Church court acquits a bishop from a small Anglican denomination embroiled in scandal

Even as the top leader of the Anglican Church in North America faces a church trial for alleged sexual misconduct, a church court has acquitted another bishop of charges of failing to carry out his duties.

The court exonerated Bishop Stewart Ruch III of the Diocese of the Upper Midwest after a lengthy secret trial. He faced charges over his oversight of clergy and lay people accused of sexual and other misconduct.

Ruch did not face accusations of sexual misconduct himself. But two sets of people, including bishops, priests and lay people, brought formal charges known as presentments.

They accused him of violating ordination vows, conduct giving just cause for scandal or offense, disobedience or willful contravention to church canons (laws) and habitual neglect of duties.

The court, composed of three bishops, two priests and two lay people, said it recognized the gravity of sexual abuse and that "such suffering stands as a sobering reminder of the Church's sacred duty to protect the vulnerable."

But it said Ruch did not violate any church laws. It acknowledged some missteps but attributed them to the learning curve of a young denomination and its leaders, rather than any canonical violation. It said Ruch shows ''humility, openness to correction and pastoral devotion'' and is well-positioned to lead reforms.

The Anglican Church in North America was formed in 2009 by conservatives who split from the U.S. Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada over liberalizing trends in those churches, including the ordination of openly LGBTQ+ bishops. The church says it has about 130,000 members in about 1,000 congregations in the U.S. and Canada.

''The ACNA has shown itself unwilling to address abuse effectively at the institutional level,'' it said, adding that the verdict ''confirms survivors' fears that the ACNA will give bishops a free pass.''

The group added: ''Instead of humbly learning from people or sources they might prefer to avoid, the ACNA has relegated survivors' own stories to the category of propaganda.''

Ruch's diocese cheered the decision.

''Over the last four and a half years, Bishop Stewart and our diocesan leaders have learned much and have worked to develop additional safeguarding policies and practices to better equip church staff and ministry leaders in the prevention, identification, and response to any suspected misconduct,'' it said in a statement.

One of the presentments alleged Ruch mishandled cases of alleged abuse and misconduct.

The court, however, said Ruch's actions — such as attending Rivera's bond hearing, which some saw as support for the accused but which Ruch said was to support his wife — arose "from pastoral judgment exercised in real time, without the benefit of hindsight."

The Diocese of the Upper Midwest, based in Wheaton, Illinois, has 35 congregations across six states, according to its website.

The verdict came just days after a board of inquiry determined there was probable cause for the denomination's top leader, Archbishop Stephen Wood, to face a church trial on charges that include abuse of power and sexual immorality.

And on Tuesday, a board of inquiry reported that it had found probable cause for a church trial of Bishop Derek Jones, who had supervised the denomination's military chaplains before breaking with the church earlier this year amid a complex jurisdictional dispute. Among the charges are promoting schism and disobedience.

He faces a trial in absentia because the ACNA's canons do not allow a bishop to resign while under discipline.

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