A CHURCH court in the United States has ruled that a diocese did not correctly follow Episcopal Church canons in a disciplinary hearing concerning a priest charged by police with theft, fraud, and credit-card abuse.

The diocese of Dallas is attempting to remove from ministry the Rector of St John’s, Corsicana, in Texas, the Revd Edward Monk (News, 16 January). It held a disciplinary hearing in May 2025, which recommended that Fr Monk be removed from the priesthood, but he appealed to the Church-wide Court of Review, arguing that the May hearing had been a “sham”.

The Court of Review heard arguments in December, and it has now issued a majority ruling in favour of Fr Monk, and sent the case back to the diocese for a new hearing.

The Episcopal News Service said that the Review Court’s ruling said the diocese had produced a “shambolic and unreliable transcript and record of the hearing”, arbitrarily excluded Fr Monk’s legal counsel, and introduced evidence from the criminal proceedings against him without notifying him in advance.

“Those canonical violations were highly prejudicial and require us to order a new hearing,” the Court of Review said. It provided a list of requirements for the diocese to follow for conducting a new hearing in Fr Monk’s case.

The published ruling was signed by 13 of the 18 members of the Court of Review. Those that differed from the majority said the diocese did not deprive Fr Monk of a fair hearing because he chose not to participate fully.

Fr Monk, 53, has served at St John’s since 2003. A criminal investigation began in July 2024, and the trial is scheduled for July. The police have said that their investigation continues.