The Primate of The Episcopal Church in the US has sacked two top staff members after an investigation found they had "violated established workplace policies".
Bishop Michael Curry had placed deputy chief operating officer Sam McDonald and public engagement director Alex Baumgarten on administrative leave, along with chief operating officer Bishop Stacy Sauls.
Bishop Sauls was found not to have violated workplace policy in the investigation into "formal complaints and allegations of potential violations" made by many members of the staff of the Presiding Bishop.
However, the investigation concluded that McDonald and Baumgarten had "failed to live up to the Church's standards of personal conduct in their relationships with employees" and both were therefore "immediately terminated".
Bishop Curry said he commissioned the independent investigation in a "search for the truth". Investigators spoke to more than 40 people and reviewed thousands of pages of documents. Curry described it as the "first major challenge" of his time as Presiding Bishop.
He said: "Our task as staff is to serve The Episcopal Church in such a way that it can serve the world in the Name and in the Spirit of Jesus Christ. We are therefore all called to strive for and adhere to the highest standards of personal and professional conduct embodying the love of God and reflecting the teachings and the way of Jesus."
He said all staff will now be asked to take part in a series of surveys about the organisation's culture and how to move it in a healthier direction. "I ask for your courage as we do this. We will need to work together to recognise and change old patterns of behavior which are not helpful, to imagine new possibilities for our work environment, and ultimately to claim the high calling of serving God."
