[Episcopal News Service] Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe, in a July 25 statement signed jointly with the family of former Rochester Bishop Prince Singh, said that they had reached an agreement to resolve the family’s remaining concerns about the church’s handling of their allegations of domestic abuse against Singh.
“While the terms of our agreement are confidential, we want you to know that we have reached it with a deep mutual commitment to the goals of the Title IV canons, which include healing, restitution, and reconciliation,” Rowe and the family said in their statement, which was released by the church’s Office of Public Affairs. In addition to Rowe, it was signed by Singh’s ex-wife, Jebaroja Singh, and his two adult sons, Nivedhan Singh and Eklan Singh.
“We share the hope that this resolution will inspire our church to practice those values more fully. By virtue of our baptism, Episcopalians are called to be accountable to one another, and we pray that our reconciliation will be a witness to the church about the importance of that shared call.”
The statement comes more than seven months after Rowe announced he had reached a disciplinary accord with Singh over the family’s allegations, which Singh continued to dispute, of physical and verbal abuse and separate allegations related to his 13 years as a diocesan bishop in Rochester, New York.
At that time, Rowe said he was suspending Singh for at least three more years, with approval of the Disciplinary Board for Bishops, after which Singh could face deposition, or removal from ordained ministry, if he falls short of requirements imposed on him. Those requirements include that Singh participate in “psychological work, education and training” related to domestic abuse, anger management and “proper exercise of authority,” as well as a program “addressing his relationship with alcohol.”
After Rowe announced the accord in December, Jebaroja Singh told Episcopal News Service the presiding bishop had met with her and her sons after the accord’s terms were already proposed, and those terms didn’t go as far as the family wanted. She also questioned how Singh could agree to pursuing reconciliation if he continued his denials.
The statement released July 25 does not specify how the family’s concerns have been addressed.