Time for Action: Part 06, Investigation of the Diocese of the Upper Midwest (cont’d)
Time for Action is a series of posts detailing ACNAtoo’s July 15 open letter to Archbishop Foley Beach,
expanding on the action items listed and providing background regarding why they are of paramount importance and continue to deserve a public response.
In this series, we’ve been breaking down the action items in our open letter from July 15, 2021 to highlight the ongoing importance of these issues, as well as to clarify why these action steps are necessary for properly responding to and preventing abuse. The Province has not yet responded meaningfully to these issues and we urge them to do so promptly and in public.
Our final action item:
We ask you to commit publicly to enlisting a full-scale, independent third party investigation into the UMD, including:
Sexual abuse allegations against any current or former leadership, staff, volunteers, or contracted employees in the UMD.
Emotional, physical, or spiritual abuse allegations against the same.
Any alleged enabling of abuse, covering up of abuse, or mishandling of abuse allegations of any kind by the same.
Any complaints regarding processes, practices, culture, structures, or any aspect of UMD operations that relates to the perpetuation of abuse.
A detailed final report and set of recommendations, compiled by the investigator, which the investigator will publish in full (without prior review or input from the Province), in order to provide a comprehensive accounting of abuse and the mishandling of abuse allegations in the UMD, as well as guidance going forward regarding necessary measures to transform the ACNA into a culture that is safe for vulnerable people and hostile to predators.
We believe that this investigation is necessary because hundreds of people have been harmed by the unhealthy culture that emanates from Church of the Resurrection and out into the Diocese of the Upper Midwest. An unhealthy culture begins with its leadership. It is the opinion of #ACNAtoo, based on numerous accounts, that Bp. Ruch and his wife Katherine have fostered a church culture in which abuse is minimized and enabled.
The stories we share publicly are only a fraction of the stories that people share with us. The deep harm caused by pastoral malpractice and damaging ideology in the Diocese of the Upper Midwest is staggering.
Domestic violence is an abuse of power, yet the actions of Upper Midwest leaders like Fr. Brett Crull and Dcn. Val McIntyre seem to ignore the power dynamics at play in such relationships. Instead, both leaders have put women and children in life-threatening danger by pressuring abused wives to undergo marriage counseling, to reconcile with their husbands, or to submit to their husbands, at times even discouraging wives from physically separating from their abusive spouse. These risky methods not only go against all professional counseling training, but they misuse scripture to keep women locked in abusive relationships which actively endanger their lives.
Making women responsible for male lust is an abuse of power. The stories of Carol and Amber highlight in painful detail what happens when girls are sexually abused in a context that puts the burden of sexual purity squarely on their shoulders. As shown in Carol’s Story, rather than understanding the sexual violation as an abuse of power, Upper Midwest leaders like Fr. Keith Hartsell saw the abuse as consensual sexual sin.
It is an abuse of power when mandated reporters decide not to report abuse. When Fr. Rand York neglected his legal duty to report sexual abuse, he set his own power above the power of the State of Illinois.
It is an abuse of power when a church hierarchy decides that some people are worthy of protection and others are not. When Mark Rivera’s victims came forward, the leaders and parishioners of Church of the Resurrection and the Diocese of the Upper Midwest found Mark an expert defense lawyer, supported him in court, helped pay his family’s rent, and offered to pay for professional counseling for him and his family, all after failing to provide financial assistance for counseling to the victim or her family. Christ Our Light and Church of the Resurrection also failed to ensure the victim a safe church space free of the presence of her abuser. There is also credible evidence that numerous parishioners and leaders created and continue to participate in whisper campaigns to disparage the victims who have spoken up against Mark Rivera.
It is an abuse of power when leaders claim the right to ask invasive questions about parishioners’ sex lives.
It is an abuse of power for a church to trumpet God’s transforming love for LGBTQ+ individuals but then push them into discredited conversion therapies and exorcisms or to treat celibate LGBTQ+ individuals as second-class members for not being married, having children, or ridding themselves of same-sex desires.
It is an abuse of power when leaders blur the personal-pastoral boundaries with their parishioners. It is an abuse of power when leaders pressure parishioners to give more money, more time, and more loyalty. It is an abuse of power when leaders fail to inform parents that their children have been sexually abused.
Consolidating authority within a small group of people can be an abuse of power. Our analysis of the publicly available Church of the Resurrection vestry rosters from 2001 - 2021 reveals that, despite an ostensible election process, vestry members were primarily a rotating cast of characters from the same families--Philbrick, Dumper, Easley, and others. Many of these same families also hold leadership positions in the diocese, as with Brenda Dumper (Lay Canon to the Ordinary) and Charlie Philbrick (Diocesan Chancellor).
Centralized leadership that holds tightly to their vision of success without the humility to receive correction or admit failure leads to abuse of power and a toxic culture. Bp. Ruch has employed his charismatic personality to consolidate power for himself and a few men who have proven their loyalty to him. Bp. Ruch’s sway will ensure that these abuses and coverups continue unless the Province takes action and demands a change to the Upper Midwest Constitution & Canons.
Internal investigation does not bring about reform. As a recent example, the Upper Midwest began an internal investigation of the Greenhouse Movement in 2018. The final report was submitted to Bp. Ruch in November 2020 and led to a major leadership change at the highest level of the Greenhouse Movement, but he has refused to share the report publicly or even privately with known victims. To #ACNAtoo’s knowledge, no Greenhouse staff or diocesan lay members were ever able to read its conclusions.
Because of this lack of transparency, it is impossible to understand why the investigation was ordered, what information was found, and consequently no way to evaluate whether the diocese took appropriate action. The apostle John writes, “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth” (1 John 1:5-6).
To be unwilling to confront and confess sin is abhorrent to the witness of a church body that has claimed to be walking in the light.
An internal provincial investigation will not suffice for true cultural change. As the Rev. Sam Alberry has said, “our repentance never harms the reputation of Jesus.” Transparency, accountability, and repentance will not be achieved behind closed doors. In order for the impending investigation to contribute to these goals, it must not only be executed by a truly independent third party, but that third party must also thoroughly investigate the diocesan culture in question, compile a final report that outlines these patterns, and publish that final report in full without Provincial input that would compromise the independence of the assessment.
Each of the requests in our open letter centers around calls for honesty, integrity, humility, justice, and compassion. These are virtues that all who claim to follow Christ should affirm and seek to cultivate within themselves. What we are asking is not to the detriment of the Diocese of the Upper Midwest, neither its leaders nor its lay members. It is not beyond or above what the Provincial leadership is called to uphold in its service as a Christ-reflecting body. This is a pivotal opportunity for the world to see the fullness of Christ’s love in action.
Marked as Christ’s own, we are called to live out no less.
To read the full letter and/or add your name to the growing list of signatories, you can access the original post here.