ECUSA: EPISCOPLAGIARISM — FRANK GRISWOLD STEALS FROM HIMSELF

By Christopher S. Johnson

April 25, 2004

Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold’s December 19, 2003, letter to Patriarch Alexy II of the Russian Orthodox Church was found to be almost identical to his August 19, 2003, letter to the Anglican Primates — raising charges of “episcoplagiarism.”

Both letters open: “I write to you with a heavy heart…” and proceed, in numerous paragraphs, with near-verbatim repetition — including appeals to Scripture, claims about discernment and unity, and justifications for the consecration of V. Gene Robinson.

For example:

Frank to the Patriarch: “I see my ministry now as helping our church to find a way forward that both preserves the unity of the church and honors the deeply held divergent points of view among us.”

Frank to the Primates: identical.

Frank to the Patriarch: “I am now obliged to ask what potential gift is buried beneath the surface of this present situation… I find myself asking God to show me how this occasion might be used for the good and to build up the life we share in Christ.”

Frank to the Primates: same wording, same prayer citation.

The justification regarding Scripture is also identical:

“…if I believed in any part of my being that the consent to this election was unfaithful to an authentic way of reading Scripture and contrary to the leading of the Holy Spirit, I could no longer serve as the Presiding Bishop…”

Further overlap includes commentary on resolutions about blessing same-gender relationships, distinctions from Holy Matrimony, and citations from St. Paul (Ephesians 3:20).

The only notable variation is audience-specific framing — e.g., “the DECR’s press release” for the Patriarch, versus “a number of you have raised” for the Primates.

This extensive self-plagiarism raises serious questions about the authenticity of pastoral communication, the depth of theological reflection, and the integrity of leadership in crisis.