I need to inform you that on Wednesday I placed on administrative leave Bishop Stacy Sauls, Chief Operating Officer, Samuel McDonald, Deputy Chief Operating Officer and Director of Mission, and Alex Baumgarten, Director of Public Engagement. This is a result of concerns that have been raised about possible misconduct in carrying out their duties as members of senior management of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society.
I want to be clear. My decision should not be confused with a finding of fault, but is necessary to allow us to find clarity. We are taking these allegations seriously and there will be a full and fair examination of the concerns that have been raised to be conducted expeditiously by an independent investigator. To protect the integrity of that process, we will not be able to say more about the concerns at this time.
I ask that you pray for all who are involved and who are impacted by this situation.
This is really a curious situation. Bp. Curry has been in place for a little over a month. He was elected back in July. There is no way these alleged improprieties happened within the last 5 months. KJS’s fingerprints are all over this as Sauls was her hire as COO. I’m sure that nothing irregular could have happened with all of the tens of millions in legal bills floating about for the past nine years! This sounds rotten to the core and bravo to Bp. Curry if he’s willing to clean house if need be. He’s certainly no champion of orthodoxy, but this is certainly a positive step.
Wow. While my religious differences with Bp. Curry were large enough to cause me to leave his diocese, I have always thought him sincere. IF there is something wrong (and there are apparently at least very serious allegations) he is right to approach it in this manner.
Probably people tied in to 815 have some idea what this about, but since the Presiding Bishop has asked for no gossip while the investigation is on, we’re unlikely to hear details.
Tough way for him to have to begin.
The Presiding oceanographer and the executive council missed whatever it was.
My my, so the liberals have started eating one another. So, what’s up?
Bullying? Well that seems to be par for the course, Vide another Californian bishop throwing his weight around on anyone questioning his dealings with diocesan property as his own private property company.
Morality? Well the Episcopal Church doesn’t have any. In any event it seems unlikely that all three gentlemen involved in various aspects of ‘operations’ have the same pecadillos.
So what does the Episcopal Church care about? MONEY, MONEY, MONEY!!!!
And what aspect of money is there where there has been no accountability, no transparency, and personal conflict of duty between acting for church and personal business in handling the missing millions or perhaps billions? I wouldn’t be totally surprised if this had something to do with it, as there is always a reason if someone hides things out of sight from all scrutiny.
“since the Presiding Bishop has asked for no gossip while the investigation is on, we’re unlikely to hear details”
Oh I don’t know. My experience is that truth always comes out, eventually.
It is always the little people you have to watch, the small people who are basically honest, but no one thinks anything about: Jean in accounts who worries about those directors’ expenses, which don’t seem quite right to her; John the junior civil servant who can’t live with the abuse of public funds he witnesses; or Mary, the nurse who can’t understand the death rates in her ward for those coming in for minor operations: the little people, who nobody thinks about or notices, but who bring the mighty crashing down from their thrones.
So what are they accused of doing?
Pageantmaster, maybe Jean or John took the arrival of a new PB as the moment to say something.
Certainly with the vengefulness exhibited by the Oceanographer,
Jean or John would have been too fearful to raise questions.
Catching up on this at Anglican Ink and Living Church, one discovers (surprised I missed it) that someone planted a recording device at the last EC meeting. And that there was a some disagreement between the executive management and the EC over the canon that states that EC has oversight of salaries and DFMS operations….
Not speculation, mind, but reported facts.
http://www.anglican.ink/article/michael-curry-cleans-house-new-york-guest-essay#sthash.2RYstPQt.dpbs
http://www.livingchurch.org/council-debates-its-duties
http://www.livingchurch.org/staff-prevails-secrecy
[blockquote]Wednesday’s session began with an announcement that General Convention staff had found a tape recorder running beneath a table where Presiding Bishop Michael Curry sits, and instructions for everyone to search under their tables for hidden recording devices. Council members found no additional devices.[/blockquote]
Seriously? Are these folks so backward tech-wise as to not be able to “accidentally” leave their smart phone on record while the meeting is going on?
Very interesting links, TJ, and thanks. Power struggle in TEC.
Nature, of course, abhors a vacuum. So until the reasons for this triple leave-taking are disclosed, nature’s urgent, um, call might be slightly relieved by…
** Stacy Sauls’ modus operandi is at least a bit illuminated here and here ; quite a story.
** Those wondering what the heck the Director of Public Engagement does can look here here . Quite the title for a flack.
** The Deputy Chief Operating Officer and Director of Mission seems to be the TEC’s chief $$$ grant award-er, as indicated here and here
David Beers Booth needs to be among those investigated.
Presiding Bishop Curry’s term begins with a lack of transparency. I think he is a good man, but this apparent cover-up does not bode well for the church, particularly for those of us who remember former Treasurer Ellen Cooke. A statement along the lines of “questionable financial judgments” might help, but should have been in the second paragraph. Scandals in public institutions used to be about either sex or money, but sex is no longer scandalous which leaves misuse of money as the general suspicion.
No. 10, as a survivor of those two ’08 Sauls links you posted, they bring back very painful memories.
Further to the links posted by No. 10:
Although the publicity on these events refers to 2008, in this paragraph:
[i]+Sauls discovered that the Vestry of a small parish in Maysville, KY, Nativity, had set up separate trusts and corporations to own the parish property, and had transferred some property, in anticipation that the Parish may in the future decide to leave TEC. No doubt still stung by the departure of a large portion of St. John’s, +Sauls acted swiftly to depose the Vestry members who had taken this action, and to place Nativity under Diocesan control.[/i], the events that set Sauls off against our former parish, Nativty, occurred over several years, and culminated in late November, 2005, almost ten years ago exactly.
As painful as it is to revisit those days, especially as we now glory in being part of +Bill Atwood’s Int’l Dio of ACNA, it’s important that no one now go back and accept the misstatements of fact contained in No. 10’s Sauls links when Sauls led DioLex, KY.
Sauls had lied to Nativity and acted dishonorably towards us on a number of occasions, first aroused when we sought his help in reaching a negotiated settlement with an incompetent and arrogant rector who spoke English so badly, he could not be understood when he preached, despite numerous efforts and suggestions to help him improve this problem.
Sauls never deposed any of Nativity’s Vestry; all but one Vestryman walked out of that fateful November meeting, in a gesture that none of us anticipated would happen, nor had we ever discussed or planned such a walkout. I recall the moment clearly. After one of many of Sauls’ baseless false statements to the group meeting that evening, I murmured to my wife, “Let’s go.” We got up as I scrawled my resignation from the Vestry on a scrap of yellow tablet paper, handing it to the one Vestry member I knew was loyal to Sauls, and we walked down the aisle. As we did, all the rest of the vestry and half the active congregation rose and followed us out of the church.
The version of what occurred at Nativity in No. 10’s link is clearly taken from that published in the DioLex newspaper by Sauls’ puppet editor. She never once attempted to get any background from any of us abandoned parishioners, or verify what she wrote before printing.
I believe I understand No. 10’s thinking in posting his links, but it would be unfortunate for those who might read the links didn’t know the Truth.
I, and others of us in our ACNA parish have often relived those sad and painful times. We do try to put them behind us and glory in God’s love that allowed us to continue onward.
I remember some of the complaints about Sauls and think it possible that TEC would be improved by his departure from a position of authority. However, #12, we don’t yet know if “misuse of money” is part of the allegations. I will say that not publicizing the allegations at the outset is not a lack of transparency; it’s appropriate at this point. If the allegations are swept under a rug long-term that [i]would[/i] be inappropriate.
PM at #4, your reasoning sounds very sensible. Perhaps there will be some long overdue house-cleaning.
Interesting that ENS put this out, but nothing at all on Episcopal Café.
Apologies, a friend has kindly pointed out that Episcopal Café put out something on the story on the same day. See: http://www.episcopalcafe.com/dfms-senior-administrators-placed-on-administrative-leave/
I can see the point of those commenters who suggested comments be closed. David on Episcopal Café has taken the view that “no speculation” applies to his blog. As Prof. Seitz points out, it doesn’t – ++Curry was referring only to employees and officers of TEC, and has no authority over others.
Anyway, I guess we just wait and see.