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UPPER SOUTH CAROLINA: Bishop Lifts Inhibition Against Dean Linder
Vestry can now fire the priest, says Bishop Waldo
By David W. Virtue
www.virtueonline.org
September 1, 2010
The Bishop of Upper South Carolina has written a letter to parishioners of Trinity Cathedral in Columbia, SC, saying he is lifting the inhibition against Dean Philip Linder, leaving the church open to relieving the dean of his job.
The Rt. Rev. W. Andrew Waldo said in a letter to the parish that he has had several conversations with the Dean and his representatives concerning the next steps in the Dean’s ministry and concluded that was the best course of action.
Waldo said the inhibition was necessary to prevent division and discord from being spread within the Cathedral community following the Dean’s violation of pastoral direction on July 13th. “In my judgment, his violation of that direction risked injury to the health of the Cathedral and your witness to the gospel. It could not be ignored.”
The bishop said his continuing choices not to respond to deadlines mutually agreed upon caused him to prayerfully consider the most appropriate path forward for the Dean and for Trinity. “Several paths have been considered. All of them have ultimately, in my pastoral judgment, led me to the conclusion that the Dean’s status is a pastoral matter between me, as the Diocesan Bishop and the Dean as one of my clergy.
“I’ve determined, for the time being, that filing formal disciplinary charges against Dean Linder for violating my earlier Pastoral Direction would not benefit my work with the Dean or further the Cathedral’s ability to move forward in its life and witness to the gospel.
“I have thus removed the inhibition that, effective July 14th, had put this situation into the jurisdiction of the Ecclesiastical Court. Removing the inhibition now allows the vestry to formally act on the call to dissolve the Cathedral’s pastoral relationship with Philip Linder. I have issued a new Pastoral Direction, effective August 27th, under which the Dean is still constrained in his priestly ministry and relationship to the Cathedral staff and membership until further notice.”
Charles Davis, Jr., remains the Acting Dean of the Cathedral. “These actions will allow me to work directly with the Dean on pastoral issues and will also free the Cathedral vestry to decide what course it will take. I know that this has been a challenging time for all of you, and yet I am deeply grateful to God for the life that is springing forth among you and for the maturity and wisdom with which you have as a community met these challenges.”
Waldo has never revealed to the parish or press what exactly Linder did that prompted the inhibition in the first place.
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