'Connecticut Six' Rector Formally Denies Charges
The rector of an Episcopal church in Connecticut, who was temporarily stripped of his ministerial credentials for opposing the oversight of his local bishop, issued a ''good faith denial'' of the charges that resulted in his inhibition.
The rector of an Episcopal church in Connecticut, who was temporarily stripped of his ministerial credentials for opposing the oversight of his local bishop, issued a “good faith denial” of the charges that resulted in his inhibition.
The Rev. Mark Hansen, former rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Bristol, on July 28 said he had not “abandoned the Communion of the Episcopal Church” in a formal declaration sent to Bishop Andrew Smith of Connecticut. The Bishop, who is currently on vacation, removed Hansen from service two weeks earlier for taking a vacation without formally applying for one.
"I am concerned for the life and ministry of St. John's,” Bishop Smith said on July 13. “In the past few months Fr. Hansen has made decisions that left the parish without sustained clergy leadership.”
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Although Hansen repeatedly denied the charges – he says a temporary leader was set up during the time he took his leave – he had not done so formally until the late July letter.
Under the Episcopal Church Canon Law, the bishop’s order of inhibition bars Father Hansen from serving his congregation and exercising his ordained ministry. The six-month inhibition could ultimately result in the bishop’s deposing Father Hansen.
During the six month period, however, the inhibited person is allowed to formally file a “good faith denial,” which, if accepted by the bishop, would dissolve the inhibition.
“Given the fact that the bishop has failed to provide evidence to corroborate his charges, and in light of Father Hansen’s statement of denial, it is hoped that Bishop Smith will immediately lift the inhibition,” a press release from Fr. Hansen read.
Bishop Smith, who is on vacation, was unavailable to comment, but his press officer confirmed that the letter had been received and forwarded to legal council.
Smith and Hansen had been at odds for months prior to the inhibition over serious theological disputes. Smith, like most of the Episcopal Bishops serving the Episcopal Church U.S.A., had supported the ordination of an active homosexual man as bishop in late 2003, and had nearly broken apart the global Anglican Communion.
The Anglican strife over homosexuality in the church took form in Episcopal dioceses across the nation. In the case of the Connecticut diocese, the rectors of six parishes – including St John’s – rejected the oversight of Bishop Smith for his unorthodox view on homosexuality. The other five priests have not yet been removed.
