Interfaith Group
Related: About this forumMaryland Episcopal bishop investigated in car accident that killed cyclist
Michelle Boorstein
The No. 2 Episcopal bishop in the Diocese of Maryland has been placed on administrative leave after she was involved in a car crash on Saturday that killed a cyclist.
Bishop Heather Elizabeth Cook, who is the bishop suffragan, or second bishop for the diocese of Maryland, which is headquartered in Baltimore, left the scene but returned later to take responsibility for her actions, her bishop said in a statement.
Baltimore police said Monday that they are investigating a fatal car crash that killed Thomas Palermo, 41, a father of two and computer specialist who ran a bike shop out of his garage. Palermo, whose family lives in Baltimore County, was on a recreational ride, said his brother-in-law Jeff Hulting.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/maryland-episcopal-bishop-investigated-in-car-accident-that-killed-biker/2014/12/29/853ccd0a-8f7d-11e4-a900-9960214d4cd7_story.html
I met the bishop a few times and I am so sorry this happened. The law will have to be followed.
My prayers for the victim, the bishop, and the families and friends of both.
rug
(82,333 posts)hrmjustin
(71,265 posts)Sad story and I liked this bishop.
rug
(82,333 posts)hrmjustin
(71,265 posts)okasha
(11,573 posts)yet to make a judgement about what caused the accident. The only thing that's clear is that she left the scene, which is an offense in itself.
hrmjustin
(71,265 posts)I like her.
hrmjustin
(71,265 posts)okasha
(11,573 posts)But I can't help wondering if the lynch mob mentality that's developing around this tragic incident would exist if the driver of the car were an accountant or the bike rider had been a Mormon missionary.
Law enforcement and the DA's office will have to sort it out, and it's understandable that the victim's friends are passionate about the outcome. But It seems to me that some of the reaction is way over the top.
hrmjustin
(71,265 posts)it looks like it is of her making.
Time will tell.
okasha
(11,573 posts)But I find some of the responses to the incident disturbing.
hrmjustin
(71,265 posts)hrmjustin
(71,265 posts)okasha
(11,573 posts)but this looks as if she needs to resign, plead guilty and get treatment.
hrmjustin
(71,265 posts)With her history she should not have been nominated.
cbayer
(146,218 posts)Does it come as a surprise to anyone that religious leaders also can have problems with substance abuse or any of the thousands of foibles and illnesses that can afflict other people?
Tragic for the deceased and his family and I hope that the bishop gets the treatment that she needs as a part of her sentence.
I am really unclear as to why this is such a big story.
hrmjustin
(71,265 posts)There needs to be an investigation as to why she was allowed to run for suffrigan of that diocese.
cbayer
(146,218 posts)the hairdressers union or CEO of a factory?
Should she have not been allowed to proceed because of a single DUI without injury?
Or is she held to a much higher standard than a normal human because she is clergy?
hrmjustin
(71,265 posts)Did the diocese do the proper background check and did the delegates and clergy know then they voted for her.
cbayer
(146,218 posts)any injury or damage? She received probation which I strongly suspect required that she engage in treatment of some sort.
She appears to have a terrible illness and did a terrible thing and she is going to pay for it, possibly for 21 years.. The fact that she is a bishop is entirely irrelevant.
hrmjustin
(71,265 posts)Their main job is to do Sunday visitations and in a diocese like that it means driving for hours to reach rural churches.
At the time of her election the DUI was less then 2 years old. Episcopal visitations almost always involve alcohol.
If the DUI had been years in her past and it was clear she was sober then I would she could be put up but considering her issues were clearly ongoing near the time of her election that should have given them pause.
Episcopal bishops put on average 5 to 10 hours on the road a week and they drive themselves so this is a huge issue.
cbayer
(146,218 posts)this other than her.
I think the fact that she is a bishop is irrelevant.
She had a DUI. She apparently complied with her probation. She is solely responsible for what has happened here and trying to deflect it onto the church is a straw man.
hrmjustin
(71,265 posts)I am saying I think there was a mistake in judgement on the part of the diocese and those who elected her.
cbayer
(146,218 posts)Would this have been more or less likely to have happened if they hadn't?
If there was evidence that alcohol was in any way interfering with her ability to do her job and it was not addressed, I would have an issue.
But having a single DUI does not make one an alcoholic. Without any other signs of illness, to deny someone a position because of a single DUI is wrong.
hrmjustin
(71,265 posts)My main concern is did they ask her about the dui and if she had a problem. For all we know she might have recieved treatment then and they knew this but this should have been disclosed to the delegates beforehand.
It maybe she did get help and they a ll knew and she just had a relapse. These things do happen.
I just hope the presiding bishop investigates the election process to make sure the diocese did what they were supposed to.
cbayer
(146,218 posts)New sources say that she did not conceal this information from the nominating committee.
I will agree that they should investigate the process to make sure that nothing fell through the cracks here, but she and she alone is responsible.
hrmjustin
(71,265 posts)It was just a horrible situation.
okasha
(11,573 posts)been clean and sober for 35-40 years, the committee should perhaps have been more diligent in assessing whether she was in recovery as opposed to just having been through a course of treatment.
In any case, it's a terrible tragedy for all involved, including the Bishop.
cbayer
(146,218 posts)If there were no other signs of illness and not other alcohol related episodes, it would be overkill to insist that she be in treatment, let alone recovery.
It is a terrible tragedy. I would wager that she has been ill for a while and that she probably covered it well and others covered for her.
The retrospectoscope is 20/20, and we are always looking for somewhere to cast the blame.
okasha
(11,573 posts)She's in a high-stress position, though, and alcoholism isn't rare among clergy.
hrmjustin
(71,265 posts)Her prior issues.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/north-baltimore/bs-md-ci-palermo-announcement-20150109-story.html#page=1
Cook's previous case was not revealed to Episcopal clerics and lay delegates who in May elected her to the post of bishop suffragan, making her the first woman to reach the position in the diocese. The national Episcopal Church has started an investigation, which a former longtime bishop of Maryland said could lead to Cook's being stripped of her position.