Former Episcopal Church leader to apologize for handling of abuse allegations

Sean Rowe, presiding bishop for the Episcopal Church, on Monday wrote that former Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and Bishop Todd Ousley agreed to write apology letters to the family of Bishop Prince Singh. The Singh family allege that Singh abused his ex-wife and two sons, and in 2023, they filed a complaint against Curry and Ousley. In the complaint they claim the bishops failed to properly follow the Title IV disciplinary canons regarding the allegations against Singh. Rowe said a panel of church leaders agreed to resolve the complaint by having Curry and Ousley write apology letters, and by requiring Ousley to attend Title IV training. Ousley is the former Title IV intake officer for complaints against bishops.

How did the family respond? The Singh family called the resolution inadequate and said the denomination’s failures eroded their trust in its disciplinary systems, according to reporting by The Living Church, a media outlet that covers the denomination. In their letter, the family asked for financial compensation in addition to the apologies, as well as systemic reform within the church’s Title IV process.

What about Bishop Singh? The bishop in 2008 became the bishop of the Diocese of Rochester before he transitioned in 2022 to serve as the bishop provisional of the dioceses for Eastern and Western Michigan. Singh resigned in 2023 after his family publicly accused him of abuse. Bishop Rowe last month suspended Singh for at least three more years and required that he participate in education related to domestic abuse, anger management, and a program to address his relationship with alcohol.

Dig deeper: Read Anne Kennedy’s opinion piece about how the Episcopal Church showed its acceptance of the LGBTQ+ movement.