MARYLAND
The Baltimore Sun
By Jonathan Pitts
The Baltimore Sun
Episcopal Church officials are considering whether the Rev. Heather Elizabeth Cook — now facing criminal charges in connection with a drunken driving accident that killed a bicyclist in December — may have lied about her struggles with alcohol to smooth her path to election as the No. 2 bishop in the Diocese of Maryland last year.
In a written notice to Cook made public this week, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori said church investigators have received information about “misrepresentations” regarding her “experience with alcohol” that she allegedly made in connection with her candidacy for bishop suffragan.
That information is cited as one reason church officials acted this week to formally restrict Cook from acting as a member of the clergy.
In a case that has roiled the national church and sparked controversy about how it elects its bishops, the mention of “misrepresentations” marks the first time officials have raised the possibility Cook lied during the search process for bishop suffragan, the second-ranking official in a diocese.
According to the notice from Schori, the church is looking at whether Cook gave false information to her former employer, the Diocese of Easton, about her history with alcohol as the Maryland diocese conducted background searches on its final three final candidates. The national church is conducting an investigation that could lead to disciplinary action against Cook.
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