August 30, 2010

The Rev. Charles E. Bennison, Jr.
Bishop Diocesan
Diocese of Pennsylvania
240 South Fourth Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103

Dear Charles:

The grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Like many others in the Diocese, we have struggled to decide what we could or should say to you now that your inhibition has been set aside.  Surely you know of the strong opinions held by those in the Diocese about the trial, that the trial determination was reversed even while condemning your involvement in the events, and about your tenure generally as our bishop, without reference to the trial.  We understand that you may not think those opinions are correct or fair, but certainly you understand that they are strongly held, provocative and will forever impact the way that you are seen within the Church and your ability to be an effective leader of our Diocese.

We have decided that the wisest thing for us to do is to remind you that one of the most important and difficult tasks for a leader is to know when to step down and pave the way for his successor.  It would not be good leadership for you to spend the remaining years as our Bishop working to change people’s opinions of you: while we can appreciate the desire to do that, we remind you that such work is unrelated to our work as Episcopalians.

Our Diocese needs a dynamic leader, who has the enthusiastic support of the Diocese and who can lead with enthusiasm and vision.  It seems very clear to us that, short term or long term, it will be impossible for you to lead effectively and pastorally.  Even if your remaining years as our bishop are spent avoiding controversy and listening to the concerns of others, it will benefit the Diocese only to the extent we benefit by stasis or quiet, at best, and, at worst, will leave wounds festering to be dealt with by your successor.  Either way, the Diocese stands still, and we do not think that is what anyone thinks is in our best interests.

Whether what has happened while you served as our bishop and while you sat out during your inhibition is right or wrong, it is now our history.  Your bishopric in the future must be something more than trying to correct what you may perceive as an injustice to you, or to correct what you think may be an unfair opinion of you; it must involve a dispassionate look at whether history leaves you at a place where, no matter how hard you try or how well you do, it will be impossible to lead us forward, much less to serve as our Chief Pastor.

You have the canonical right to continue as our bishop.  However, we all know that something is not necessarily the right thing to do simply because it is permitted by the Canons.  You have the identical canonical right to decide gracefully to relinquish your role as our bishop and to allow the Diocese of Pennsylvania to select a new bishop.  Perhaps the best example you can give to your flock and the best leadership for our Diocese involves your decision to retire upon the election of your successor, followed by devoting yourself to the good work of paving the way for that individual.

As you ponder your decision, rest assured of our prayers for your family and you.

Faithfully yours in Christ,