I recently asked a fellow blogger — someone very well known in The Episcopal Church and a delegate to General Convention — about the proposal from the Standing Commission on Constitution and Canons’ proposal to include whistleblower protection. Leaving out personally identifiable information, here’s the response (emphasis added):
Hi Eric,
I haven’t finished reading the whole SCCC report yet, but I haven’t seen whistleblower protection so far. A couple of years ago, we were revising our HR manual at _________.
Our board treasurer mentioned that he’d met resistance his whole life in Episcopal entities about putting in whistleblower protections. He was surprised we were all so eager to provide this. I don’t understand why the whole church isn’t this way.
I’ve had other friends who met retaliation for filing Title IV charges. And I myself didn’t report bullying a couple of years ago, because I didn’t have confidence the charges would be handled well. So I have some sympathy.
All of which is to say, I’m very sorry you had that experience. I hope you’ve found a great church home, and I’m sorry that you were forced out.
When I get to the end of the report, I’ll note if they made this (promised) provision. If not, I’ll be sure to raise the issue.
Blessings to you on your journey.
Believe it or not, I admire this person for being able to stick with The Episcopal Church. After a lifetime as a member, I have come to the conclusion that the church is simply too sketch, aka morally bankrupt, for me to remain a member. And I don’t see any reason to give sacrificially so that some fat-cat priest can live life large, come and go as he pleases, and ignore the requirements of his letter of agreement whenever it suits him.