(RNS) — An Episcopal Church investigation into possible misconduct by former Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and Bishop Todd Ousley, a former Office of Pastoral Development official, concluded Monday (Dec. 30) with a pastoral response, according to an announcement from Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe.
Curry and Ousley were the subjects of a clergy misconduct complaint brought by the family of Bishop Prince Singh, the former bishop of the Dioceses of Eastern and Western Michigan. Singh’s sons told Curry in December 2022 that their father had physically and emotionally abused them, but Curry’s office did not launch an investigation into their case until the brothers went public with their allegations in June 2023. The Singh sons were later joined by their mother, who alleged that in February 2023, she told Curry that Singh had waved a knife at her.
The family maintains that the delay in launching the investigations constituted clergy misconduct, and in January a process known in the church as Title IV began. In March, Curry and Ousley were referred for an internal investigation.
Rowe’s announcement Monday stated that Curry and Ousley have agreed to write an apology to the complainants, and Ousley will complete prescribed Title IV trainings. “My office will also offer support for therapeutic and spiritual care to the complainants in keeping with Canon IV.8.1,” the announcement said, referring to the denomination’s Canons of the General Convention, its governing body.
In a letter to Rowe, Singh’s sons, Nivedhan and Eklan Singh, and his ex-wife, Roja Suganthy-Singh, called the pastoral response “deeply inadequate” and asked for a public apology that includes “specific acknowledgments of wrongdoing, harm caused, and concrete steps toward accountability.”
“They had the power and responsibility to act decisively while still in office, when their actions would have mattered most,” the family members said of Curry and Ousley. “Instead, they allowed delays, mismanagement, and personal connections to undermine justice. Their inaction caused us immense emotional harm at every turn and forced us into the exhausting position of advocating for basic fairness — a burden that should never have fallen on survivors.”
While the church has offered to pay therapy costs for the Singhs, the family is asking for compensation for lost wages due to the case’s impact and more coverage for emotional and spiritual care. They are also calling for a broader reform of the Title IV process.
Two separate Title IV complaints against Singh alone were resolved earlier in December — one involving allegations of alcoholism and abuse of his family members and another involving allegations of vindictiveness and public shaming from members of his former diocese. Under a written resolution agreed to by Singh and Rowe, Singh, who has been on leave since September 2023, can return to ministry only at the presiding bishop’s discretion after three years, during which time he must undergo psychological assessment and trainings in anger management, domestic abuse and Title IV.
Singh is also required to seek reconciliation with former members of his diocese and his sons and ex-wife, if they consent to it, but Singh continues to dispute the allegations against him, which his sons and ex-wife insist makes reconciliation impossible.
The decision to conclude the complaints against the two bishops through a pastoral response was made by a panel composed of Rowe; the Rev. Barbara Kempf, who is intake officer for Title IV matters involving bishops; and Bishop Nicholas Knisely, president of the Disciplinary Board for Bishops.
“I ask for your continued prayers that God’s power will bring healing and reconciliation to everyone involved in this painful situation,” said Rowe.
