October 1, 2025

Dear people of God in the Episcopal Diocese of Florida,

I am writing to tell you that last weekend, Bishop John Howard and I signed an accord that concludes all of the Title IV matters currently pending against him. Bishop Howard declined to make any admission of fault or wrongdoing, and the accord does not impose consequences under the Title IV disciplinary canons. Late yesterday, the Disciplinary Board for Bishops approved the accord as required by Canon IV.17.9.

This means that the church disciplinary proceedings of the past two years have come to an end. Whether this comes as welcome news or as a disappointment to you, I want you to understand my motivations for negotiating this accord. Your diocese’s continued healing and vitality is my highest value in this matter, and I believe that ending these Title IV processes is the best possible way for you to continue the extraordinary progress you have been making in fostering unity, transparency, and shared governance.

As the hearing panel processes have gained momentum, the pain of these last several years has been compounded by the human and financial toll of preparing for them. Current and former leaders and officers of your diocese and the diocesan foundation have been required to devote considerable time, energy, and money to satisfy discovery, deposition, and other hearing panel demands. The matter has, in recent weeks, become a significant distraction to the good work you are doing to reinvigorate healthy systems and structures.

The Title IV proceedings against Bishop Howard have also placed a burden on the rest of the church. The churchwide structure has already spent more than $100,000 in legal fees and other associated costs for these hearing panels and seeing them through to the end was estimated to cost several more hundreds of thousands of dollars—money that would not have been available for other mission and ministry.

Even as the costs have mounted, it has become increasingly clear that any restrictions imposed by a hearing panel would have had little practical effect. Bishop Howard reached the canonically mandated retirement age for clergy more than two years ago. Given both age and circumstance, he was unlikely ever to have sought or to have been granted leave to exercise active episcopal ministry again.

I would rather see the church’s resources support the work that you have been doing so faithfully to strengthen your diocese than have us bear the expense of a hearing panel. In the accord, I have pledged that the church will make a substantial contribution to your diocese’s ongoing efforts toward healthier governance, greater accountability in financial matters, increased transparency, and full inclusion in matters of human sexuality. I will work with your standing committee to determine what that investment should be.

One additional piece of unexpected news: Late last night, after he had signed the accord but before he had been notified of its approval, Bishop Howard wrote to me to request release and removal from ordained ministry in The Episcopal Church under Canon III.12.8 in the event that the accord were to be approved. This request was not related to the accord in any way, and the decision was entirely his. This morning, as required by canon, my Council of Advice and I accepted this request. As of today, John has been released and removed from ordained ministry in our church.

John was your bishop for 20 years, and I acknowledge with gratitude his struggle in the early years of his episcopacy to keep the Diocese of Florida in The Episcopal Church during a time of schism and dissension over matters of human sexuality. I am also mindful that in the ensuing decades, as The Episcopal Church has prayed, studied, and discerned the evidence of God’s blessing in the lives and love of LGBTQ+ siblings in Christ, John’s approach did not serve equally well all contexts of the diocese’s ministry and caused deep pain for many.

For those painful years and the harm that came from them, I offer my deep and heartfelt apology to the LGBTQ+ community and its allies in the Diocese of Florida and across The Episcopal Church, and to all who have been harmed by the last several years of unrest and division in the diocese.

I know that this news will not heal all of the pain of the complainants and those impacted in these Title IV matters. I want to assure you that we will do everything we can to provide them with pastoral support and to emphasize that this accord was not reached as a way to minimize or normalize the harm that they experienced.

The goals of Title IV include healing, forgiveness, and reconciliation, and I grieve that at this stage, we cannot achieve those goals with your former bishop. My hope is in Christ, and I will not stop praying that John may be reconciled to you. What we can do now is promote the goals of Title IV — especially continued healing, forgiveness, and reconciliation — within your diocese and between your diocese and the wider church, and that is the path we have chosen by reaching this accord.

I understand you may have comments, questions, or concerns about this decision. I hope that you will let me know by emailing Rebecca Wilson at rwilson@episcopalchurch.org.

Thank you for your extraordinary perseverance, faithfulness, and witness to the Risen Christ. I am honored to be in ministry with you.

The Most Rev. Sean Rowe
Presiding Bishop