Presiding bishop suspends Prince Singh for three years, resolving two Title IV cases against bishop

[Episcopal News Service] Former Rochester Bishop Prince Singh has accepted a disciplinary accord under which Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe will suspend 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, according to Rowe’s Dec. 13 letter to the church announcing resolution of the two cases against Singh.

The list of Rowe’s terms includes requirements 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.” Those terms follow his family’s allegations of physical and verbal abuse and separate allegations related to his 13 years as a diocesan bishop in Rochester, New York.

Although Singh “disputes these allegations,” Rowe said, the presiding bishop hopes the accord will live up to the goals of the church’s Title IV clergy disciplinary canons “by identifying paths for him to be accountable, to amend his life and then to seek reconciliation with his family and his former diocese if and when they are willing to do so.”

The Singh accord concludes one of the most openly contentious matters in a series of Title IV cases against Episcopal bishops in recent years that have prompted renewed churchwide scrutiny of those disciplinary canons. Church leaders, in seeking to improve the process’ transparency and effectiveness, have aimed to address the perception that bishops have not been held to the same disciplinary standards as other clergy.

News of the Singh accord also comes six weeks after Rowe took office as presiding bishop on Nov. 1. Rowe, who has prioritized improvements to the handling of Title IV cases, said he has worked with Rhode Island Bishop Nicholas Knisely, president of the Disciplinary Board for Bishops, and other Title IV leaders “to bring matters currently pending against bishops to resolution.” The Singh accord, Rowe added, has been approved by the Disciplinary Board for Bishops.

Previously, Singh’s ex-wife and their two adult sons also called for an independent investigation into how Rowe’s predecessor, former Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, and Bishop Todd Ousley, the former Title IV intake officer for complaints against bishops, handled their allegations of domestic abuse by Singh. That Title IV matter is still pending and was not addressed by Rowe’s letter.

After Rowe’s letter was released, Episcopal News Service reached out to the family members by email inviting their comment for this story, which will be updated upon receiving a response.

Singh and his wife, Jebaroja Suganthy-Singh, finalized their divorce in April 2022, and in December 2022, she sent a letter to Curry saying she and her sons felt ignored and abandoned by the church. 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. At the time Singh was serving as bishop provisional of the dioceses of Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan.

Curry recused himself from the case against Singh, designating his Title IV role to the Rt. Rev. Clifton Daniel III, a former bishop of East Carolina and former dean of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York. In September 2023, Daniel restricted Singh his ordained ministry while the Title IV case was pending. Singh resigned as bishop provisional a day later.

Rowe specified in his Dec. 13 letter that the family said Singh had “verbally and/or physically abused his sons over a period of years, consumed excessive alcohol in the home, publicly misrepresented facts related to his divorce proceedings with his ex-wife and verbally abused his ex-wife during their marriage.”

The second case against Singh was initiated by “people in the Episcopal Diocese of Rochester,” Rowe said. They accused Singh of “demonstrating a volatile temper, public shaming, vindictiveness, creating fear of retribution, lack of transparency, imposed isolation and misuse of Title IV.” The alleged misuse of Title IV included failing to report allegations against a priest, as well as blocking a complaint against himself.

Singh, a native of India, was ordained as a priest in 2000 in the Diocese of Newark, in New Jersey, and in 2008 was consecrated as bishop of the Diocese of Rochester. Documents obtained last year by Episcopal News Service from his tenure in Rochester indicate that he was beloved by many in that diocese but that he also fueled tensions with others who objected to his management style.

The specific allegations from Singh’s time in Rochester have not been revealed publicly until now, along with the release of Rowe’s letter detailing the accord. Rowe explains that the Rochester case had been referred to a hearing panel, at which point, the church is canonically required to release supporting documents filed to the panel. The accord, however, means a hearing panel will no longer take up that case. The separate case initiated by Singh’s family had not yet been referred to a hearing panel, so no additional documents from that case were released.

One of the documents in the Rochester case, labeled “statement of alleged offenses,” outlines two such allegations. In both cases, names have been redacted. In the first alleged offense, Singh was informed in 2018 that a priest in the diocese had engaged in sexual misconduct. Rather than following Title IV guidelines for reporting the allegations, Singh chose to personally handle the matter in ways the complainant found unacceptable,” according to the document.

The second alleged offense dates to the fall 2017, when Singh was observed engaging in “improper touching” at a parish event. A lay leader reported the incident a year later, and when Singh found out about the allegations he “reacted to this report in explosive fashion,” including profanity, according to the document. Singh also allegedly used threats to dissuade the lay leader from filing a complaint against Singh under the churchwide process specified for bishops. Instead, the matter was handled by a diocesan body, which cleared Singh of any wrongdoing.

In July 2021, Singh informed the Rochester Standing Committee that he intended to resign. He later said in his September announcement to the diocese that it was “time to say goodbye,” without elaborating on his reasons for stepping down, effective February 2022.

At the same time, the dioceses of Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan had been without a bishop since Presiding Bishop Michael Curry suspended the Rt. Rev. Whayne Hougland Jr. in June 2020 over Hougland’s admitted extramarital affair. When Hougland’s one-year suspension concluded, the two standing committees chose not to accept him back as their bishop.

In October 2021, Singh was nominated and elected bishop provisional of the two dioceses. He took office the following February but served only 19 months before resigning to face the two Title IV cases.

Again without a bishop, Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan discerned next steps in their ongoing partnership. In 2024, the 81st General Convention approved their merger as the new Diocese of the Great Lakes, which is now laying the groundwork for calling its first bishop diocesan.

Singh’s three-year suspension could be extended and “will conclude only when I am satisfied he is fit for ministry,” Rowe said in his letter outlining the accord. It also said Singh agreed to “a thorough psychiatric and psychological assessment” and would participate in “truth-telling work related to both sets of allegations.”

Singh will work to “address reputation harm” that people in the Diocese of Rochester may have suffered, and he will “make visits and apologies to people, congregations and other groups whom I identify and who are willing,” Rowe said. In addition, Singh will participate in training on the values, process and procedures of the church’s Title IV canons.

Rowe said he also expects Singh to seek reconciliation with his ex-wife and sons “when and if they are interested in doing so and consent to the process,” as well as make parallel attempts at reconciliation with members of the Diocese of Rochester.

Rowe said he has instructed Singh to publicly remain silent about these matters, unless granted permission by the presiding bishop.

Singh may seek secular employment, notifying Rowe of any prospective position.

After three years, if Rowe determines Singh “is not appropriately engaging in the prescribed work,” he may pursue a punishment of deposition. Singh’s suspension will not be lifted “unless and until he demonstrates his fitness for ministry and accountability and amendment of life related to the allegations.”

– David Paulsen is a senior reporter and editor for Episcopal News Service based in Wisconsin. He can be reached at dpaulsen@episcopalchurch.org.