A minister at an Episcopal church in Texas has been arrested and charged with online solicitation of a minor and has been suspended from his position at the church.
The Rev. Jason Myers, an associate rector at Trinity Episcopal Church of Fort Worth, was arrested on the felony charge on April 11 by authorities in Collin County.
The Rev. Robert F. Pace, the rector at Trinity Episcopal, sent a letter to the congregation on Saturday in which he detailed the situation, noting that “Bishop Andy Doyle suspended Jason’s ministry under the Title IV clergy disciplinary canons of the Episcopal Church.”
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“This means that Jason is not permitted to function as an Episcopal priest in any way for the duration of the investigation and legal proceedings now underway,” wrote Pace.
“It will not be possible for him to have contact with anyone in our congregation. Please know that he and his family will have pastoral support as the legal situation unfolds.”
Pace went on to explain that while “we do not have any reason to believe that anyone in our congregation or school has been harmed,” there is “much that we do not know or understand, and we have many questions that cannot yet be answered.”
“I want to assure you that we are cooperating fully with law enforcement and will share information with you as it becomes available.,” he continued, adding that “this situation comes as a shock.”
“As we grieve this news and seek understanding, please join me in praying for everyone affected. We pray for all children and adults who have experienced harm. We pray for our parish family. We pray for Jason’s wife and their children. Please also pray for Jason.”
In recent times, there has been much debate within The Episcopal Church over how transparent it has been regarding moral complaints leveled against clergy, especially bishops.
In February, the mainline Protestant denomination launched a three-part protocol to generate more transparency regarding disciplinary cases made against clergy.
These three parts included creating a webpage for reporting alleged misconduct, another webpage that gives updates on cases, and a yearly report documenting complaints.
In a letter sent last month, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry said, “experience over the past several years with Title IV matters involving Bishops has given rise to calls for more transparency in the process.”
“The protocol will provide for greater transparency around Title IV processes while also appropriately protecting privacy, all in the service of encouraging the goals set out in Canon I of Title IV,” wrote Curry.
