The Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) is moving up the trial of Archbishop Stephen Wood, who is facing accusations of sexual misconduct and other violations of church canons.
The trial, which was set for October, will now begin in September. Originally, Wood’s trial was to start in July but was postponed so that the Court for the Trial of a Bishop could “better fulfill its goal of providing a full and fair adjudication of the allegations in this matter,” it said in a statement.
The leadership of both Wood and former Archbishop Foley Beach is also being investigated as part of a third-party review of the disciplinary process of Bishop Stewart Ruch III, who was acquitted last year of all canonical charges regarding the mishandling of abuse allegations in his diocese.
Ruch, who is bishop of the ACNA’s Upper Midwest Diocese, was formally charged in 2022 but was cleared unanimously in December following his ecclesiastical trial.
A day after the results of the trial were announced, more than 70 clergy, 100 lay members and 25 former members of the ACNA called for an independent review of the investigation and trial.
