Via email:
Dear ACNA Clergy and Laity,
Some of you have heard that allegations of abuse and abuse mishandling were made against Upper Midwest Diocese Bishop Stewart Ruch in 2021 and onward. Bp. Ruch took a leave of absence in 2021 and the ACNA Province brought in a law firm to investigate. Since then, two presentments have been submitted, one by three bishops in December, 2022, and another by lay members and clergy – most of whom were resident in the Upper Midwest Diocese – in June, 2023.
You will find the latter presentment attached. Its evidentiary documentation begins on page 7 and includes seven examples in which Bp. Ruch knew that men had histories – in some cases criminal convictions – of domestic violence/sexual abuse, and he still chose to silently welcome them to his diocesan congregations and even place many of these individuals into leadership positions – including ordination – without the full knowledge of lay members and even clergy on-staff. There are numerous supporting hyperlinked exhibits of emails, legally recorded audio, arrest and court records, diocesan letters from Bp. Ruch, screenshots of the Husch Blackwell investigation report, and more. Please take the time to examine these carefully and thoroughly. What is important to recognize is the fact that of the seven cases highlighted, five have continued or occurred after 2019, when Bp. Ruch first learned of the allegations of child sexual abuse by lay catechist Mark Rivera, the alleged mishandling of which prompted Ruch’s 2021 leave of absence and the Province selecting a third-party law firm for investigation.
Despite the Province’s announcements in August and September that the two presentments warranted an ecclesiastical trial, to my knowledge no hearings have been held, six months later. The Provincial Office has not demonstrated that priority has been given to this crisis, nor that the denomination’s canonical disciplinary process is equipped to protect its members and uphold standards for safe leadership.
As you read this presentment, consider how the issues raised within could affect your parish, your diocese, and the larger Anglican Church in North America. Please contact your bishop and demand that action proceed with exigency and in full communication to the entire Provincial membership. Everyone should desire that the Church be a place of sanctuary for the most vulnerable among us.
Sincerely,
Audrey Luhmann
Lay signatory on the second presentment against Bp. Stewart Ruch III
