An Episcopal bishop accused of concealing his brother's sexual abuse of a 14-year-old girl decades ago twice walked in during the abuse and never did anything to stop it, the now-adult victim testified Monday at a church trial.The testimony came as the trial opened for Bishop Charles E. Bennison Jr. of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania. His brother became a priest after the abuse is alleged to have begun.
A panel of bishops, priests and church members will decide whether Bennison, the leader of the nation's fifth-largest Episcopal diocese, may resume his duties. Bennison, 64, was ordered to cease all "ministerial and canonical acts" in November.
The accuser, now 50, said Charles Bennison witnessed incidents in a Sunday school classroom and in a church office in 1973.
"He opened the door, took a look at us, turned around and walked out," the victim testified.
The Associated Press typically does not identify people alleging sexual abuse.
The woman said the abuse by the bishop's brother, John Bennison, happened three to four times a week for more than four years. It took place in the choir loft, the library, church offices and classrooms, she said.
She also said the episodes turned her from a nerd who enjoyed school, sewing and church into a young adult battling suicidal thoughts, depression, eating disorders and alcohol abuse.
"I really felt like John had stolen God from me because he told me what was going on between us was God's special gift and God's will," she testified.
She said there was "no doubt in my mind" that Charles Bennison knew of the abuse.
At the time of the reported 1973 abuse, Bennison was rector of St. Mark's Church in Upland, Calif., in the Diocese of Los Angeles, and his brother was a married lay minister there.
The church indictment, called a presentment, charges that Bennison reacted "passively and self-protectively" and "failed to take obvious, essential steps to investigate his brother's actions, protect the girl from further abuse, and find out whether other children were in danger."
The church indictment also charges that Bennison continued to "fail in his duties" by knowing about the abuse but not stopping his brother's 1974 ordination. John Bennison, who never faced criminal charges, left the priesthood two years ago.
Charles Bennison's attorney, James Pabarue, testified his client did nothing wrong. At the time, the church did not have any guidelines in place for reporting sexual abuse, Pabarue said.
"Charles Bennison, then a 31-year-old parish rector, handled the situation he faced in a manner he believed to be correct and appropriate at that time," Pabarue testified. He said Bennison confronted his brother, who denied the accusations.
Earlier Monday, the victim's 76-year-old mother testified Charles Bennison once told her he knew about the abuse but didn't think it was up to him to tell the family. The mother said she found out about the abuse when her daughter was in college and had asked Bennison about it.
The mother is not being identified by the AP to protect the identity of the accuser.
Under cross-examination by Pabarue, the mother acknowledged she and her husband remained friendly with Charles Bennison and his wife for years after the abuse and continued attending his church.
Pabarue also had the woman read aloud letters in which Charles Bennison expressed sorrow about the abuse and offered to help her daughter.
The woman acknowledged the family did not go public with their accusations against Charles Bennison until 2006. Their priorities were getting John Bennison out of the priesthood and helping their daughter get counseling, she said.
Church lawyer Larry White said in his opening statement that the sexual abuse started when the girl was 14 and continued for five years. Charles Bennison did not put a stop to it and did not alert the church, White said.
A special Court for the Trial of a Bishop was chosen to hear the evidence and announce within 30 days its verdict on whether the bishop may resume his duties.
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