We see the victims of this abuse by Epstein and other powerful men who have too long been protected by a code of complicity and silence. We remember Virginia Giuffre, the first woman to speak out publicly about her sexual abuse at the hands of Epstein and other powerful men. Virgina died by suicide last year after the toll of that abuse and the burden of speaking became too much for her to bear.

We honor those who tell their stories, who carry the weight of truth telling on behalf of the unnamed and unknown exploited. We lament that even in the two months of working on this statement, we have been unable to keep up with an onslaught of new revelations of sexual violence and predation by powerful men.

We write this letter as two white women priests who seek to practice intersectional learning and coalition based practices in this work of calling out violence. We listen to a lineage of women, notably working class, black, indigenous, and women of color, who have disproportionately suffered the harms of misogynistic and patriarchal sexual violence, violence that is intensified at the intersections of race, class, and colonization.

We learn from the joy, community, and resilience of the testimonies and lives of women of color throughout history, in the prophetic call of Tarana Burke in launching the #MeToo movement, and in the work of scholars such as the Reverend Dr. Pauli Murray, Dr. Rita Nakashima Brock, Dr. Daisy L. Machado, Dr. Renita Weems, the Reverend Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, Dr. Angela Davis, Dr. Dian Million, Dr. Kimberlé Crenshaw, Dr. Emilie Townes, and others.

It is past time that the Episcopal Church speaks out. While TEC did work during #MeToo to name sexual exploitation and abuse of women within the church, it is time again for those in the church to name our own complicity with systems that seek to silence victims and protect perpetrators. It is time for us to name the sins of patriarchy, the sins of sexual violence, and stand with the women and children, including boys, who have been harmed.

What is not named can not be confessed, what is not acknowledged can not be repaired. Naming the sins of patriarchy and misogyny within the church is no small task given the nature of power structures within the church and the historical tradition of Christian theology which has consistently problematized and marginalized women.

Stories and images of sexual and misogynistic violence are hard to escape in scripture, from Hagar to Bathsheba to Ruth to the prophet Amos. And yet the grace and love of God disrupts many of these stories, as Hagar speaks to and names God in the midst of her suffering and Ruth and Naomi’s love and commitment to one another sits firmly in the lineage of Christ.

This is the kind of work and healing that church is best at, recognizing the pain and anger that so many women carry, coming together to share and learn and love each other, and pray that God’s vision of the thriving of all human beings might come a little closer to us.

We call on our bishops and institutional leadership to listen deeply to victims of sexual violence, both within and outside the church, and clearly name the sins of patriarchy and misogyny as our Lutheran siblings have done.

Our church has been proactive in developing curricula, like Sacred Ground, and bearing public witness for racial justice and the violence and injustice of recent immigration policies and enforcement, and we call on the church to develop similar resources and actions addressing patriarchy, misogyny, and sexual violence. We appreciate the resources provided by Aaron Scott, the staff officer for Gender Justice for The Episcopal Church, and we see so much more potential for creating formation resources for clergy and laity that address patriarchy and misogyny as systems of oppression and injustice that hurt all of God’s children.

We especially call on men in the church to partner with us in dismantling patriarchy. We recognize you are also harmed by these systems. Women do a disproportionate share of the labor in challenging patriarchy, and we are inviting you to do this work alongside us.

For those clergy or lay folks who want to partner with us, please leave your name, order, email, and diocese in this google form. We also welcome ecumenical partners. We will be in touch with possible next steps to gather, learn, and advocate.

We are learning to listen more deeply and invite you to learn with us. We consider this simply a first step. As we approach the Season of Pentecost, we pray that the Holy Spirit will come and give us the courage to begin a process of listening, learning, and love.

In Christ,

The Reverend Jeanne Kaliszewski, Rector, St. John the Evangelist Episcopal Church, Milwaukie, OR

The Reverend Andria Skornik, Rector, All Saints Episcopal Church. Portland, OR

Additional resources:

Secular Domestic Violence, Gender-Based Violence, and Violence Prevention Orgs: RAINN; Futures Without Violence; Domestic Violence Support | National Domestic Violence Hotline; VAWnet.org; CONNECT – Safe Families, Peaceful Communities

Faith-Based Violence Prevention Resources:“Break the Silence Sunday” Toolkit (Diocese of New York);Rev. Sally N. MacNichol; Safe Church – The Episcopal Church

Further Reading: Navigating Emotional Triggers from the Epstein Files: A Guide for Women with Trauma Backgrounds;HRC | Understanding Intimate Partner Violence in the LGBTQ+ Community; How Patriarchy in the Church Plays a Role in Abuse - RELEVANT; Church members are not exempt from domestic violence, author warns | Diana R. Garland School of Social Work | Baylor University

In witness and solidarity,

Rev. Maria McDowell, PhD

Rev. Sarah Thomas

Alan Murray

Craig Heverly

Clare Garrison

Rev. Ron Werner, Jr

Rev. Elizabeth Klein

Rev. Marion E Phipps

Charlene McCreight

Rev. Maureen-Elizabeth Hagen

Cheryle Cerezo-Gardiner

Very Rev. Brendan Barnacle

Jordan Skornik, PhD

Sally Byrne

Amanda Buckle

Rev. Dennis J Parker

Anonymous

Deacon Jack Mandeville

Janet Cotton

Rev. Laura Gottardi-Littell

Barbara Brecht

Deacon Tom Hampson

The Rev. Sara Warfield

Matt Smith

Juanita E Chambers

The Rev. R. Scott Painter

Rev. Marna Franson

Shelley Denison

Rev. Dcn. Mel Foresman

Kathy Douglass

Kirby Gleason

The Rev'd Joseph Wallace Williams

Debbie Kohler

Venerable Denise Schiavone

Rev. Alison Dingley

Anonymous

Mary W. Cox

The Rev. Dr. Jay E. Johnson

Roberta Peterson

Rev. Dale Ballard Carr

Rev Irene

Jamie Terra Hawk

Rev. Charles Graves

Anonymous

Rev. Francene Young

The Rev. Leah Romanelli DeJesus

The Rev Gwen Fry

Aaron Scott

Rev. Linda Potter

Rev. Dr. Jerry Maynard

Richard Pryor

Rev. Martha Camele

Alex Colby

Melissa Simpson

Maryanne Theyerl

The Rev. Joe L. Ashby

Rev Stephen Ashby

Peter Sergienko

Susan Germundson

Rev. Katy Campbell

Sarah Henderson, LMSW

Judy Bevilacqua

The Very Rev. Miranda Cully

Rev Kristin Braun

Rev. Mary Keenan

Rev. Brad Sullivan

Colleen Kellyginter

Rev. Canon Ivar Hillesland

Grace Meacham

Joey Beaulieu

The Rev. Lindsay Ross-Hunt

Rev. Boneta Campbell

Hannah Teetor

The Rev. Mary Carson

Vicki Ebberts

Wayne Hatwich

Rev. Seth Longacre

Rev. Mary Anne Osborn

The Rt. Rev. Gregory H Rickel

Connor Crafton-Tempel

Michael Burke

Rev. George Baum

Bill Roberts

Joe Johnson

David Scherer

Emmanuel Tovar

Daniel Cummins

Rev. Alex Leach

Denise Farrer

Rev. M.E. Eccles

The Rev. Dr. Sheryl A Kujawa-Holbrook, EdD, PhD

The Rev. J. Antonio Alvarez

Michael Siegel