Additionally, Gross alleged in his affidavit that shortly after Wood’s election as archbishop, he grew “obsessive” about a possible presentment against him. Gross wrote that he’d heard a “credible report” of Wood and the denomination’s previous dean, Bishop Ray Sutton, having a conversation in which they were “floating the possibility” of a “bishop-friendly” Board of Inquiry, the church body that determines whether a presentment warrants an ecclesiastical trial.
When The Post first reported that allegation on Nov. 7, Sutton gave a statement “firmly” denying that “any such conversation ever occurred.” But on Saturday, Sutton resigned as dean, and in a statement he walked back his denial: “My intent was to express that I could not recall such a conversation ever taking place, and I apologize for stating that incorrectly.”
Aside from the allegations against Wood, the denomination’s priests and parishioners also are upset about how the accusations entered the public domain. Priests and former staff at Wood’s church in South Carolina who wrote the presentment said they initially sought the endorsements of numerous bishops. The denomination requires that presentments be signed and sworn to by either three bishops or a mix of 10 parishioners and priests.
Their presentment was ultimately offered to four bishops, but they turned the South Carolina group down. Chip Edgar, the bishop of the Diocese of South Carolina, wrote a letter Thursday to parishioners disclosing his early involvement and saying he supports the presentment and its authors.
“I acknowledge it didn’t always seem like I did — I’ve apologized to them and sought their forgiveness, which they have generously given — but I do,” Edgar wrote.
The archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America, who is facing allegations of sexual misconduct against two women, was suspended from his duties leading the 16-year-old denomination.https://t.co/MbLlKdbouB
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) November 17, 2025