This points to a broader institutional pronlem in which @The_ACNA either lacks protocols & standards that conform to readily available best practices for responding to sexual abuse allegations...
...or that these standards & protocols exist on paper, but are not being enforced by the hierarchy.
It also means that we can't count on the bishops to do the right thing just because they are good men who love Jesus, have good intentions, & who we like, respect, & trust.
Nobody meant for this to happen, but they also didn't mean for it not to.
Meaning for this not to happen demands more than sincere good intentions.
It means listening to survivors like @ladyjessicahaze, @R_Denhollander & many other people who share their stories at great cost
It means learning from what has gone wrong & leaning on the wisdom of people like @R_Denhollander, @BozT , and on established and reputable orgs like @netgrace_org .
After we listen and learn, it means that we act.
We act to make sure that other people also listen & learn so more people are pushing for accountability & reform.
We act to demand that our leaders formally adopt & uphold best practices for caring for victims, commissioning third-party investigations with orgs that are competent to provide support for victims & their families, & that leaders face consequences for breaking our trust.
We act to make sure that people whose livelihoods are bound up with the good reputation & maintenance of institutions don't place the advice of lawyers ahead of the needs of victims, survivors, & their families.
We act to make sure that when people who were given chance after chance to listen, learn, and respond appropriately, but still mishandle allegations, they are removed from positions of power.
We act to make churches safer places so that predators have fewer opportunities. We also recognize that predators are insidious & may still prey on our people. We make ourselves places where it is safe to report.
That means that we don't raise money for accused sexual predators so they can have a well-connected attorney, no matter how much you love the charming accused predator who has been in your community for decades.
It means that the feelings of victims, survivors, and their families take priority over those of leaders who are wounded that their mistakes have been brought to light & want everyone to honor their good intentions & how hard this situation has been for them.
It means that we prioritize the restoration of victims & their families over the reputations and restoration for the leaders that have failed them.
It means that we look at the institutional practices that allowed for miscarriages of justice to take place, such as having the bishop's family members on the bishop's council. Who will they identify with? Who will they protect?
It means guarding against basic conflicts of interest. Survivors asking for qualified, third-party assistance shouldn't have to explain to the hierarchy why it's not okay to have your bros & buddies advise you:
Lots of you are looking for ways to help. After we launch the website, I'm going to need to pass the ball to some teammates so I can finish my master's thesis.
We are going to need people to help implement social media outreach, especially on Facebook. Who wants to help?
Also, thank you for taking up tasks so @ladyjessicahaze & her amazing support team don't have to do extra work. If you've read her survivor advocacy threads, you know that Joanna & her team are great at documenting things.
Y'all, I've been working on transcribing the email screenshots from @ladyjessicahaze 's July 3rd 🧵 for ACNAtoo.org 's launch & I'm more tired than @StewartRuch 's performative lament at failing the survivors of abuse in @MidwestAnglican.
Anyone want to help me out?
I just got to this tweet & need to transcribe the screenshots for it and all the Tweets w/ text screenshots after it.
If you want to help, 1. transcribe. 2. DM me the transcription with the relevant tweet 3. retweet the tweet you transcribed in the comments of this thread and let others know it's done so we don't duplicate labor.
@scotmcknight@BpToddHunter@The_ACNA@C4SO Probably not. I haven't looked at details of any policies, but this is literally the ONLY diocese in ACNA that expresses ANY sort of concern for whistleblower protection on their website.
@scotmcknight@BpToddHunter@The_ACNA@C4SO I am guessing that as I look through the documents, I will not find ANY diocese that has policies on how to conduct investigations in ways that are victim-centered & trauma informed. This hasn't been thought through.
@scotmcknight@BpToddHunter@The_ACNA@C4SO As a lay person, it's not clear to me how diocesan policies on abuse prevention & response are developed. Presumably, @The_ACNA has some minimum standards a diocese must meet, yes?
Spending my day compiling a list of ACNA resources by diocese posted on diocesan websites on abuse prevention and response policies. Shout out to Diocese of Churches for the Sake of Others for featuring an easy-to-find page, clear reporting procedures, & whistleblower protection.
@C4SO 's website is definitely the best so far in terms of making it easy for victims to report and in including other forms of abuse as areas of concern other than child sexual abuse. Well done. Other @The_ACNA - take notes.
Most of your fellow parishioners do not know about the mishandling of sexual abuse allegations in @MidwestAnglican by @StewartRuch under the nat'l leadership of @ArchbishopFoley.
What is abundantly evident from this thread is that @StewartRuch needs to resign. He can't even plead that he is a sincere guy with good intentions that just got in over his head & didn't know what he was doing. He had abundant opportunities to adopt best practices.
@StewartRuch & those who love him & respect him may be able to assure themselves that he was just trying to do the best he cld in an awful & complex situation. Nice, sincere people can be arrogant & in love with their own judgment for no good reason. They can even become bishops.
Men who are this unteachable should not be bishops in @The_ACNA , no matter how upstanding & sincere & well-intentioned they & their friends understand these men to be.