As a result of a commitment to examining how the church has handled cases of sexual harassment, abuse and exploitation through the years, the General Convention of The Episcopal Church last July considered how to atone for the church’s past and shape a more just future.
One piece of legislation, Resolution DO34, affirms the church’s strong commitment to see that past sexual abuse allegations against clergy are investigated with the hope of bringing healing to those affected by abuse. This resolution suspends for three years the canon that places a time limit on initiating proceedings in cases of clergy sexual misconduct against adults. (There is no time limit on reporting clergy sexual misconduct against children and youth under the age of 21.)
This means that if you were the victim of sexual misconduct by a clergyperson, no matter how long ago it occurred, you may lodge a complaint. The three-year suspension window opened on January 1, 2019 and will close on December 31, 2021. After that, the statute of limitations will again be in effect.
Allegations of misconduct can be made to an Intake Officer in the diocese where the alleged misconduct occurred. In the Diocese of Pittsburgh, the Intake Officers are:
Ms. Denise Jardini, 412-491-1595, molira218@msn.com
The Rev. Catherine Munz, 724-799-9929, link2cat@mac.com
The Rev. Jim Shoucair, 412-364-2442, rector@christchurchpgh.org
The Intake Officers are trained members of the diocesan disciplinary system who will compassionately and confidentially receive your report.
For more information about Resolution DO34, read the letter from Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and House of Deputies President Gay Clark Jennings, here: https://houseofdeputies.org/2018/12/12/statute-of-limitations-suspension-begins-january-1-a-letter-from-the-presiding-bishop-and-president-jennings-in-english-y-espanol/
The Episcopal Church’s clergy disciplinary process can be found in detail at: https://www.titleiv.org/