Cliff was inhibited after an allegation of misconduct surfaced shortly after he was elected.
An investigation into the allegation tells us that it was “thoroughly and professionally investigated by members of the Safe Church Resource Team (SCRT) of the Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario” “with a definitive finding that the allegation against Bishop Cliff is not supported by the evidence.” “The findings were clear and unambiguous.”
You can read the two letters from bishops Anne Germon and Michael Oulton here (my bold).
The allegations against Bishop Cliff have been thoroughly and professionally investigated by members of the Safe Church Resource Team (SCRT) of the Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario over the last three months. The members of the SCRT in Ontario were trained and resourced to conduct the investigation which was undertaken in a manner which is consistent with best practices and with the principles of Natural Justice. The investigation was overseen by the Chancellor of the Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario. There was no other involvement by leadership.
The investigators concluded that the evidence did not support the allegation.
In a Journal article Archbishop Anne Germond said, “The report of the investigators is confidential and will not be released”.
In summary, William Cliff has been exonerated but we don’t know what the allegation was, we don’t know who made it, we don’t know the details of the investigation and we are being asked to take on trust that the findings of Safe Church Resource Team (SCRT) of the Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario were independent and unbiased.
That sounds transparent.
We all know who the accuser is since he made the accusations very publicly on social media.
Presumption of innocence ought to be at work in any Court of The Church; as in the State. Yet the in camera process of Episcopal Courts militates against transparency. The Presbyterian Church in Canada tiered Courts operate on the same principle re. any Charges brought to them: on one or more of three grounds only; heresy, schism, fama. Now that both of these Communions literally have re-interpreted Holy Writ as to what constitutes sexual sin, or related crimes re. human sexuality, justice not only will not be done, but even more grievous to any Complainant, not even seen to be done. The ‘Safer Church’ policy is Exhibit A of this tragic truth.
We all need to keep Bishop Bill in our prayers. This far from transparent process means that he goes to the Diocese of Ontario with a huge cloud over his head. The ACoC must come up with a better process for dealing with these situations. This time it is the parishioners of the Diocese of Ontario who pay the price of not knowing for certain that they have elected a trustworthy individual as their next Bishop. When we can’t trust the ACoC leadership in hermeneutics, why would we trust them in dispute resolution. We can do better than this. We desrve better.
Good afternoon.
May I add something to your comment?
In my experience most “orthodox” hierarchy have a deplorable way of handling these cases (tolerance), while “liberal” hierarchy have a more legalistic approach (intolerant to the extreme of lacking a enough dosis of mercy.
Again, this is based on what I personally have witnessed. I am no expert.
Thank you.
Blessings.
True and false testimonies exist in our broken world. Regardless, God knows the secrets of our hearts. Nobody can fool God.
God is God; we are not. God knows everything; we don’t. The story of Joseph (Genesis 37-50) is a great example of the benevolent providence of God. From an unjust imprisonment in a foreign land, Joseph rose to a prominent position in Egypt. Joseph’s life was guided by the hand of God. Likewise, our lives can be guided by the hand of God in 2023 and beyond. We must continue to learn to trust God more and more now and always. I firmly believe that God is in control of all situations.