Presiding bishop announces end of Title IV case against former presiding bishop, former intake officer

[Episcopal News Service] Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe in a Dec. 30 letter announced that the Title IV matters pending against former Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and Bishop Todd Ousley, previously bishop in the Office of Pastoral Development, related to the cases against former Rochester Bishop Prince Singh have concluded with a pastoral response.

‘Under our disciplinary canons, a pastoral response can include actions that the respondents are required to complete as well as care for the complainants and other injured parties,” Rowe wrote, specifically citing Canon IV.6.8(a) and Canon IV.8.

Singh’s family had accused Curry and Ousley of not adequately or promptly responding to their domestic abuse allegations again Singh. Under the terms of the pastoral response, Curry and Ousley each agreed to write separate apologies to the complainants, Singh’s ex-wife and his two adult sons. Additionally, Ousley, who previously served as intake officer for Title IV complaints against bishops, will complete training in the Title IV disciplinary canons, as prescribed by Rowe. 

In addition to Title IV intake officer, Ousley had several responsibilities as leader of the Office of Pastoral Development, including assisting dioceses in bishop elections and consecrations, recruiting bishops provisional for dioceses in need of interim leadership and ensuring bishops received adequate pastoral support. In 2023, Curry reassigned the role of Title IV intake officer to a newly created position, allowing Ousley to focus on his other responsibilities. In early November Rowe announced that Ousley would depart at the end of the year.

The presiding bishop’s office also will offer support for therapeutic and spiritual care to Singh’s ex-wife and sons in keeping with Canon IV.8.1, according to the letter. 

From left, Jebaroja Suganthy-Singh, Nivedhan Singh and Eklan Singh speak in a video on their website, Episcopal Accountability, which accuses church leaders of failing to properly respond to their abuse complaints against Bishop Prince Singh.

The Singh family’s first contacts with churchwide leaders date back at least to December 2022, when Jebaroja Suganthy-Singh sent a letter to Curry saying she and her sons felt ignored and abandoned by the church. She and Singh had finalized their divorce eight months earlier, in April 2022.

The sons, Nivedhan Singh and Eklan Singh, sent separate letters to Curry detailing the physical and emotional abuse they said they suffered at the hands of their father, dating back to when they were children.

The family went public with their allegations in June 2023, and in January 2024, they had called for an independent investigation into how Curry and Ousley handled the their allegations against Singh.

Earlier this month, Singh accepted a disciplinary accord under which Rowe suspended him for at least three more years, after which Singh could face deposition, or removal from ordained ministry, if he falls short of requirements imposed on him.

The family responded to that accord with disappointment, saying they didn’t feel it did enough to address their concerns or what they felt were systemic problems with the Title IV process. Episcopal News Service reached out by email on Dec. 30 seeking additional comment for this story, which will be updated upon receiving a response.

The Episcopal Church’s Title IV disciplinary canons apply to all clergy. Cases involving bishops follow a process at the churchwide level that is similar to the diocesan processes for cases involving other clergy.

The decision to conclude the case against Curry and Ousley with a pastoral response was made by a Title IV reference panel that included Rhode Island Bishop Nicholas Knisely, president of the Disciplinary Board for Bishops; the Rev. Barbara Kempf, the intake officer for bishop complaints, and Rowe, after he became presiding bishop on Nov. 1. 

Rowe, in his letter, said the panel made the decision after reviewing an independent investigation requested by an earlier reference panel that was received in late September. “I ask for your continued prayers that God’s power will bring healing and reconciliation to everyone involved in this painful situation,” Rowe said.