Family of former bishop accuses Episcopal Church of mishandling abuse complaint
The family of an Episcopal Church bishop who resigned last year amid credible allegations of abuse is calling for an investigation of denominational leadership's handling of the allegations.
The ex-wife and two adult sons of former Bishop Prince Singh of the Episcopal Dioceses of Eastern and Western Michigan filed a complaint against Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and church officer Bishop Todd Ousley in December, the Episcopal News Service reported last week.
Singh was forced to resign last September in response to multiple accusations of abuse from family members and others.
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The family members allege that Curry and Ousley, who lead the church's Office of Pastoral Development, failed to properly follow the denomination's Title IV disciplinary canons, which investigate accusations of wrongdoing by clergy, including bishops. They reported their concerns to Curry directly in December 2022 before making them public in June of last year.
ENS cited an email Bishop Mary Gray-Reeves, vice president of the House of Bishops, sent to Episcopal leaders on Jan. 10. Gray-Reeves informed Singh's family that she is recusing herself from the Title IV complaint involving Curry, with the retired bishop, the Rt. Rev. Herman Hollerith IV, taking her place.
The email included an attached 19-page letter dated Dec. 28, 2023, from the family to all Episcopal bishops, detailing their objections to how Curry and Ousley handled the accusations.
A native of India, Singh served as bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Rochester from 2008 to 2022. He was elected bishop provisional of the Eastern and Western Michigan dioceses in October 2021, taking office in February 2022.
In April 2022, Singh and his wife divorced, with her and their sons contacting Curry later that year to detail the years of alleged abuse they endured from Singh. His family went public with the abuse allegations in June 2023.
On Sept. 7, as part of the Title IV investigation, Singh was officially restricted from engaging in ministry due to the allegations. He resigned from the office the next day.
In a joint statement released at the time, the Standing Committee of Eastern Michigan and the Standing Committee of Western Michigan said that the resignation was "a mutual decision."
"We prayerfully recognize that this situation is complex and this news will be received in many ways within and beyond our dioceses. We have [tread] in these waters before," they stated, alluding to the suspension of another bishop in June 2020 over an admitted extramarital affair.
"We have grown in relationship and in trust of one another across our leadership. We have taken on big questions and come out stronger together on the other side. We will address this new challenge with careful stewardship of our body, compassion for one another, and faith in the One who loves us infinitely more than we could ask or imagine."
