Episcopal Court of Review upholds ruling against priest found guilty of adultery
The Episcopal Church’s Court of Review has upheld a ruling against an Ohio priest who was convicted of engaging in adultery while the divorce from his first wife was being finalized.
In a unanimous decision released last week, the Court of Review rejected an appeal from the Rev. Daniel McClain, former rector at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Oakwood.
“McClain suggested that The Episcopal Church’s marriage doctrine is now such that a clergyman’s admitted adultery, committed during a divorce proceeding, where the marriage had broken down irretrievably, would not automatically constitute Conduct Unbecoming a Member of the Clergy,” stated the court.
“The argument is not well taken. The Ten Commandments, Exodus 21:14 (‘Thou shalt not commit adultery’), the vows of marriage in the Book of Common Prayer (BCP, p. 424 (‘forsaking all others’), and the ordination vows taken by clergy (BCP, p. 544, (‘wholesome Example’), make clear that adultery — a sexual relationship by a married member of the clergy with someone other than their spouse — is a violation of those vows, and a very serious matter.”
While the Court of Review upheld an earlier ruling by a hearing panel, the church court reversed decisions on other charges deemed “hotly disputed” and involving “conflicting evidence.”
The Court of Review took issue with the hearing panel not holding a formal hearing for McClain, but concluded that this misstep “did not cause the Rev. McClain material prejudice because the facts supporting that finding were repeatedly admitted by him, and because such admitted facts support such a finding.”
“When asked at oral argument what additional evidence would have been submitted on these issues, McClain’s counsel did not identify any additional evidence that would have been submitted on these issues at a hearing,” the court added.
“[G]iven the repeated admission by the Rev. McClain of publicly committed and unrepentant adultery, we find on balance that the Panel’s error in denying a hearing on this issue was not so prejudicial to him that it requires us to reverse the recommendation.”
Anglican Watch, a nonprofit known for reporting on alleged abuse in The Episcopal Church and elsewhere, filed the complaint that served as the basis for the decision.
“As a result of today’s decision, the matter returns to the Diocese of Southern Ohio, where we expect the diocesan bishop will defrock McClain,” stated the nonprofit last week.
“Anglican Watch commends the Diocese of Southern Ohio for acting with integrity by following Title IV. Such an approach gives us hope that the church can ensure mission integrity and move toward greater accountability for its clergy.”
McClain’s wife filed for divorce in April 2022. He began a romantic relationship with a woman he later married while the divorce with his first spouse was still being finalized. According to the Court of Review's ruling, McClain engaged in a sexual relationship with his future wife and did so publicly, accusing him of traveling to England "with his new partner" at church expense. He is accused of "broadcasting services of morning prayer from the deck of his partner’s home."
In February 2024, McClain was placed on administrative leave due to accusations that he engaged in a host of unethical practices. In addition to the adultery allegation, an investigation found evidence that he violated church protocols on COVID-19, allowed pet cats in a church sanctuary and made dubious church finance decisions.
The former rector faced Title IV canon proceedings for the alleged actions. McClain, who now works as a schoolteacher, has denied any wrongdoing.
Last November, a hearing panel issued an order concluding that McClain “engaged in Conduct Unbecoming a Member of the Clergy,” and recommended to “the Bishop Diocesan of Southern Ohio that the Respondent be deposed from ministry.”
McClain appealed the hearing panel decision, with his church attorney, Deborah Stambaugh, claiming earlier this year that “unfair and very misleading information had been put out about him.”
“Father Dan’s dignity has not been respected. He has been made into a leper and a social pariah by what is nothing short of cyberbullying at the hands of the church,” said Stambaugh, according to Episcopal News Service.
“His wife abandoned him,” she continued. “He sought out healthy companionship that helped stabilize him through a turbulent time after being abandoned.”
