Former Episcopal priest Franklin E. Huntress Jr. was arrested on June 30 in Marblehead and arraigned on July 7 in Hillsborough County Superior Court in New Hampshire for felonious sexual assault. The July 7 statement of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts in response follows:
In October 2010, the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts received a complaint against Franklin E. Huntress Jr. alleging sexual misconduct with a minor in 1974. An investigation was conducted in accordance with the canons of the Episcopal Church, which led to Mr. Huntress's removal, in February 2011, from the priesthood of the Episcopal Church.
Since that action, other individuals have come forward with similar allegations of misconduct by Mr. Huntress when they were minors decades ago. Following the policies and procedures that the Episcopal Church has long had in place for dealing with such situations, the Diocese of Massachusetts has acted promptly to report them to the appropriate civil and church authorities, to offer counseling referrals for those who may have been victimized and to make a pastoral response team available to any Massachusetts congregations where misconduct may have taken place.
We cannot speak to these latest developments that are in the hands of law enforcement and the courts, but we very much do want to say that the Diocese of Massachusetts has faced this situation from its beginning with real sorrow for everyone affected and that we remain committed to making our congregations safe through transparency, diligence, care for victims and due process.