NEWS PROVIDED BY
Anglican Watch
Oct. 1, 2025
ALEXANDRIA, Va., Oct. 1, 2025 /Standard Newswire/ — Anglican Watch, the leading church watchdog group for the Episcopal Church is calling for the resignation of New York bishop Matthew Heyd. The announcement follows a lawsuit by a member of St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, which alleges that the victim was sexually assaulted by gay church members, including a priest, on multiple occasions. Yet when the victim complained to the Diocese, Heyd allegedly retaliated by barring the victim from all parishes in the Diocese and launching a defamatory smear campaign.
“We are outraged that it has taken nine months and the filing of a lawsuit for Heyd to take this matter seriously,” says Anglican Watch executive director Eric Bonetti.
“Indeed, the Diocese initially dismissed the alleged victim’s complaints,” Bonetti continues. Yet now, Bishop Heyd is telling the media, ‘It is our commitment to always fully investigate claims of abuse and to support our congregations in doing the same.’
“To be clear, Heyd’s conduct proves that this claim is nothing more than badly done impression management. As for St. Thomas’ claims that its safe church program follows ‘best practices,’ we remind all involved that retaliation for filing a complaint is neither a ‘best practice’ nor allowed under church canons,” Bonetti adds.
“The lawsuit also alleges that an unknown person contacted the victim’s employer, claiming that he is a ‘domestic terrorist.’ Based on discussions with church officials, we strongly suspect the culprit is none other than St. Thomas rector Carl Turner.
“Thus, we ask that both Heyd and Turner do the right thing, which is to immediately apologize to the victim, publicly and in writing, and resign from their positions,” Bonetti continues.
“No other outcome is acceptable, and there will be much additional work that must be done in order to make reparations to the victim.
“Meanwhile, the takeaway from this is that the Episcopal Church talks a good game, but in reality, it is toxic and dishonest.
“We advise all persons who believe that church should be a safe place to avoid the Episcopal Church,” Bonetti concludes.
Founded in 2015, Anglican Watch is the unofficial watchdog of the Episcopal Church. The organization addresses sexual and non-sexual abuse in the Episcopal Church and other faith communities.
SOURCE Anglican Watch
CONTACT: Eric Bonetti, 240-380-2567, eric@anglicanwatch.com