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When it comes to preventing abuse, are all churches equal?
September 26, 2023
As an Anglican bishop faces a church trial for allegedly minimizing abuse and misconduct, observers are wondering: Could this have happened anywhere? -
The First Thing I Did Was Text My Priest
September 5, 2023 | New York Magazine
A church lay leader sexually abused a child. The victim’s family says the institution protected him. -
ACNA Bishop Stewart Ruch will face church trial
August 15, 2023 | Religion News Service
Bishop Stewart Ruch, a controversial figure in the Anglican Church in North America, will be brought to a church court trial, according to an announcement published to the denomination’s website on Tuesday afternoon. -
Anglican denomination erupts into power struggle after Bishop Stewart Ruch’s return
June 8, 2023 | Religion News Service
The struggle broke into the open Wednesday when ACNA’s archbishop accused his denomination’s highest court of attempting to stop an investigation into charges against Ruch.
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Mark Rivera, a former Anglican lay pastor, found guilty of felony child sexual assault
December 15, 2022 | Religion News Service
Mark Rivera, a former lay pastor at the center of several sexual abuse allegations in a conservative Anglican denomination, was found guilty of five counts of felony child sexual abuse and assault on Thursday morning (Dec. 15). -
Anglican church informs parishioners of sex offender attendee after three years
December 6, 2022 | Religion News Service
Church of the Resurrection, an Anglican church that serves as a diocesan seat in Wheaton, Illinois, whose leaders have faced criticism for how they handled sexual abuse allegations, informed congregants Friday (Dec. 2) that a registered sex offender has been attending the church since 2019. -
Returning from self-imposed hiatus, ACNA Bishop Stewart Ruch works to regain trust
After 16 months of a self-imposed hiatus after admitting to mishandling sexual abuse allegations in his diocese in Wheaton, Illinois, Bishop Stewart Ruch — a charismatic, controversial figure in the Anglican Church in North America — is taking steps to revive trust in his leadership.
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ACNA Bishop Stewart Ruch, accused of spiritual abuse, ends voluntary leave
A controversial and popular bishop in the Anglican Church of North America has decided to return from a voluntary leave of absence by the end of October, despite an ongoing investigation into spiritual abuse allegations.
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Church leader accused of assaulting goddaughter, church accused of not taking action
May 18, 2022 | CBS Chicago News
A mother says the church that she loved in Big Rock, Illinois failed her — and in a new complaint filed Wednesday, the big question is what church leaders knew and when. CBS 2's Charlie De Mar reports.
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Lawsuit accuses ACNA church of negligence that resulted in child sexual abuse
May 18, 2022 | Religion News Service
Cherin, who declined to use her last name to protect her daughter’s privacy, filed a lawsuit Wednesday (May 18) in Kane County, Illinois, against Christ Our Light Anglican Church. The lawsuit argues that Cherin’s daughter, who is referred to as Jane Doe, has experienced mental anguish and emotional and physical pain because of the church’s negligence, and it requests over $50,000 in damages. -
Anglicans say leaders botched response to allegations against DC priest
April 7, 2022 | Religion News Service
On Tuesday (April 5), a group of self-identified survivors and advocates who attended an Anglican church in Washington, D.C., published an open letter saying diocesan leaders mishandled their allegations of spiritual abuse. The letter asks the leaders to apologize to the reported victims and discipline the accused priest, the Rev. Dan Claire. -
Survivors Remain Skeptical of Anglican Diocese Investigations
February 18, 2022 | Christianity Today
As investigations into sexual abuse and abuse of church power get underway in the Anglican Church in North America’s Upper Midwest Diocese, at least five individuals who say they experienced sexual or spiritual abuse in the diocese say they will not participate in one or both of the investigations due to concerns about transparency.
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ACNA moves forward with investigation amid concerns from survivors and advocates
February 17, 2022 | Religion News Service
As investigations into sexual abuse and abuse of church power get underway in the Anglican Church in North America’s Upper Midwest Diocese, at least five individuals who say they experienced sexual or spiritual abuse in the diocese say they will not participate in one or both of the investigations due to concerns about transparency.
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Three members of ACNA response team resign from overseeing abuse investigation
January 19, 2022 | Religion News Service
Three members of the group overseeing the investigation into sexual abuse allegations in the Anglican Church in North America’s Upper Midwest Diocese resigned Monday (Jan. 17), saying that the team “downplayed or ignored” abuse survivors’ needs.
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Hundreds sign petition asking ACNA for ‘survivor-centric’ abuse investigation
January 11, 2022 | Religion News Service
Ten alleged survivors have declined to participate in the investigation, citing concerns. More than 350 people have signed a petition calling the Anglican Church in North America to honor abuse survivors’ wishes regarding an investigation into the handling of abuse allegations.
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Former ACNA lay pastor charged with additional sexual assault felonies
December 30, 2021 | Religion News Service
Mark Rivera was charged Wednesday with two felony counts of criminal sexual assault in the Kane County, Illinois, circuit court.
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#ACNAtoo: What you can do to hear, to support, and to respond to abuse survivors
October 7, 2021 | Anglican Compass
#ACNAtoo is a movement of survivors of ACNA-related abuse & their supporters seeking justice, repentance, healing & a healthier ACNA. This is an overview of the movement including what you can do to hear, to support, and to respond.
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In troubled ACNA church, alleged ‘spiritual hazing’ pressured members to conform
September 3, 2021 | Religion News Service
Former members of Church of the Resurrection, headquarters of the Upper Midwest Diocese in the ACNA, say its leadership used spiritual language to force them to conform.
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With abuse allegations, conservative Anglican diocese faces questions about structure
August 19, 2021 | Religion News Service
ACNA’s Upper Midwest Diocese, where the abuse allegations have taken place, places few checks and balances on the bishop’s authority.
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Alleged victims say ACNA church leaders failed to acknowledge their abuse allegations
July 28, 2021 | Religion News Service
Ten people in all have come forward with allegations of sexual abuse against a volunteer leader in the Anglican Church in North America.
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Faced with Allegations, Anglicans Want to Change the Trajectory of Abuse Response
July 27, 2021 | Christianity Today
Priests and parishioners in the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) are expressing grief and anger over sexual abuse allegations against a lay leader in the Diocese of the Upper Midwest and the revelation that its bishop waited two years to notify churches in the diocese about the reports.
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In ACNA abuse case, mother of an alleged victim says she paid a price for coming forward
July 19, 2021 | Religion News Service
The mother says leaders in the Anglican Church in North America pressured her not to report her daughter’s abuse allegations.
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Conservative Anglicanism's Sexual Abuse Case
July 19, 2021 | Eternity News
A bishop in the orthodox Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) has stood aside, over the mishandling of a sexual abuse case. Because one of the alleged complainants is a nine-year-old girl, this is an extreme case of abuse and highlights a church’s lack of action.
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A Most Urgent Task
July 18, 2021 | The Dispatch
As abuse claims proliferate, it’s time for an entirely new ‘Modesto Manifesto.’
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Abuse prevention advocates want input into ACNA investigation of bishop
July 15, 2021 | Religion News Service
A group of advocates named #ACNAtoo wants input on an investigation into how allegations of abuse were handled.
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ACNA leaders to take over abuse investigation in Upper Midwest diocese
July 13, 2021 | Religion News Service
Anglican Bishop Stewart Ruch III has taken a leave of absence, saying he made ‘regrettable errors’ in handling allegations of abuse.
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ACNA Bp. Admits Mishandling Child Sex-Abuse Case
July 12, 2021 | The Living Church
For the third time in a little more than a year, a bishop of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) has left office for an offense related to sexuality. This time, the episode is flaring into national consciousness through media reports and Twitter threads, amid allegations that church officials kept quiet for years about accusations of sexual abuse involving a 9-year-old girl.
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Prominent Anglican bishop takes leave of absence amid ongoing accusations of mishandling abuse allegations
July 9, 2021 | Religion News Service
Bishop Stewart Ruch III of the Anglican Church in North America’s Upper Midwest Diocese has taken a leave of absence after admitting he mishandled sexual abuse allegations.
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Anglican Diocese Now Seeks Long Delayed Transparency, Accountability for Arrested Lay Leader
July 1, 2021 | MinistryWatch
For more than two decades, Mark Rivera was a lay leader in two Illinois churches affiliated with the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA), earning praise from some for his serving heart, and inviting complaints from others about his interactions with girls and young women, dozens of whom he referred to as his “godchildren.”