Townsend told RNS that in his view, the ACCtoo letter is an accurate description of what happened. “As an Anglican, I am very concerned to see the primate of our church reference misrepresentations made by people who have survived trauma without any clarification on that or any explanation,” he said.
Despite the ACC’s betrayal, Proctor’s appeal to the Anglican Journal may have had its intended effect. “We’ve already had other people reach out to us with their stories,” said ACCtoo co-founder Mackie, “so it is a much broader issue in the Anglican Church of Canada.”
Another clergyperson who signed the letter, the Rev. Martha Tatarnic, rector at St. George’s Anglican Church in St. Catharines, Ontario, told RNS that she signed for two reasons: She believes Christians are called to stand in solidarity with survivors, and she believes in a church of repentance.
“It was out of love for the church, too, that I signed the letter. I want to see a church that learns, changes, grows and responds,” she said.
This article originally appeared here.
