The Kangaroo Court Continues

From The Living Church:

Inhibition Upheld in Central New York
10/17/2005

http://www.livingchurch.org/publishertlc/viewarticle.asp?ID=3D1396

The standing committee of the Diocese of Central New York has sustained the
extension of the temporary inhibition against the Rev. David G. Bollinger,
rector of St. Paul=92s Church, Owego, following a hearing on Sept. 29. The
inhibition issued by the Rt. Rev. Gladstone B. Adams III, Bishop of Central
New York, charges among other things possible criminal misuse by Fr.
Bollinger "and others" of church funds. Auditing costs to the diocese have
been estimated at as high as $50,000.

Also involved in the case are charges that a former rector of St. Paul's
molested boys, one of whom has signed an affidavit witnessed by Fr.
Bollinger and another priest. The diocese has taken no action on the sex
charges and the alleged abuser remains a priest in good standing. The
vestry minutes of his tenure at St. Paul's are missing from the parish
archives, according to Fr. Bollinger.

Seven of the eight review committee members met for 45 minutes with Fr.
Bollinger and his lawyer, David Gouldin. Bishop Adams was not present. A
priest observer was ejected before the proceeding began. The standing
committee found that grounds for the inhibition have "not changed to any
material extent." According to Mr. Gouldin, the bishop was obligated to
present new material if the inhibition was to be extended. None was said.
Mr. Gouldin said he and Fr. Bollinger were unprepared to present a defense,
having received prior communication that the hearing would not be a trial.

"At this most recent hearing, when we got the impression that you might be
changing the ground rules, we requested an adjournment and opportunity to
be heard if you were now prepared to listen to evidence," Mr. Gouldin wrote
in an Oct. 11 letter to the Rev. Kathryn Eden, chair of the diocesan review
committee. "We also asked that the letter from the leadership at St. Paul's
Church which you received be considered as part of the evidence."

Bishop Adams scheduled two hours on the opening day of an Oct. 11-13 clergy
conference for standing committee members to "update" clergy on the
ecclesiastical proceedings. The bishop previously directed Fr. Bollinger,
under the terms of his inhibition, not to attend any clergy functions such
as the clergy conference or district clergy meetings. Diocesan chancellor
Paul J. Curtin was expected to lead the discussion of the case.

Prior to the clergy conference, Mr. Gouldin e-mailed every member of the
Central New York clericus a copy of his letter to the chair of the diocesan
review committee, pleading with them to "find the courage to tell the
bishop you are troubled about his position and the path he and his
chancellor have chosen to follow."

In a letter to Fr. Bollinger, Bishop Adams sought to assure him that he was
receiving a fair trial. "As to due process, I have sought the assistance of
bishops who have gone through such proceedings before as well as people
from the office at 815 who deal regularly with such actions in order to
make sure that we in fact are following due process," he said.

In other developments, the vestry of St. Paul's, whose letter to the review
committee indicated unanimous support for Fr. Bollinger, was again rejected
at the Sept. 29 hearing, has called for a rally of area churches Oct. 23 to
support their rector.

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