(RNS) — In April, the Rev. Chris Marchand, an Anglican priest in Peoria, Illinois, launched “Wall of Silence,” a podcast about church abuse and cover-up in the Anglican Church in North America.
Two months later — at his bishop’s request — the podcast was abruptly suspended. “Yes, the Wall of Silence is being silenced,” Marchand wrote on Twitter.
The news came at a busy time for the denomination, which in June elected its next archbishop and voted on changes to its abuse protocols. For years, the young denomination has faced controversy for perceived shortcomings in its protocols on safeguarding for congregations and clergy and lay leader misconduct.
On Wednesday (Aug. 28), Marchand’s podcast resumed with a 13-minute episode explaining the project’s sudden return, without being able to fully explain where the calls to stop the podcast were coming from.
Though his bishop, Alberto Morales of the Diocese of Quincy, hasn’t granted him permission to resume the podcast, which has garnered 500-1,000 listens per episode, Marchand intends to continue.
“I have spent the last few months in discernment, prayer, and receiving lots of counsel, and I do not feel that my calling to release this podcast has in any way lessened,” Marchand says in the episode. “Along with this, I do not believe my bishop’s call to obedience in this matter falls under his canonical or episcopal authority.”
Emails obtained by RNS show that on June 5, Morales asked Marchand to stop podcasting, informing him that officials at the denomination’s national level were calling for the podcast to be immediately eliminated. Archbishop Foley Beach, then the head of the denomination, was copied, and appeared to clarify in a reply that the pressure wasn’t coming from him or his office. Morales did not respond to requests for comment in time for publication.
Chris Marchand. (Courtesy photo)
In an email to RNS, the Rev. Andrew Gross, ACNA’s director of communications, said he could not confirm that the province, as the national church is known, asked for the podcast to be shut down. “I cannot confirm that there is any truth to that claim,” Gross said. “No current or former Provincial staff member has any knowledge of Archbishop Beach or of anyone else acting on behalf of the Province making such a request.”
Marchand said he met with Morales in July, and the bishop warned that if Marchand continued the podcast, it could lead to them both facing a civil lawsuit, a church trial, or both.
According to Marchand, Morales also suggested that the podcast represented a conflict of interest for members of the diocese who are involved in the church trial of Bishop Stewart Ruch, a leader in the Upper Midwest Diocese who has been accused of knowingly welcoming individuals with histories of predatory behavior into diocesan churches. Many of the stories featured on Marchand’s podcast took place in Ruch’s diocese, and both Morales and the diocese’s lawyer may have roles to play in Ruch’s trial.
In a conversation with RNS, Marchand said that while he is bound to obey his bishop in situations that fall under church bylaws, he does not believe this scenario applies. He is hosting the podcast as a form of advocacy for abuse survivors, he said, not preaching about it from the pulpit, and said he has been careful to present facts and avoid slander.
“I’m not currently employed by a church in my diocese or by the diocese itself. I don’t understand how this falls under his power to command my obedience,” Marchand said. He added that he’s spoken to lawyers who advised him that, as it stands, the podcast wouldn’t warrant a defamation lawsuit.
As the podcast resumes, Marchand said he thinks telling the stories of abuse survivors is a critical part of the broader efforts needed to enhance approaches to abuse, both in ACNA and in all Christian denominations.
“I think it’s important that we take time to consider not just can we change canon law, but how do we build a culture where we are keeping God’s people as safe as we can?” said Marchand. “It’s going to take time. The work is not done.”
